Lost and Mal: The Found Year
by Ember411
Summary: Sequel to Lost and Mal. Now adjusting to living back in Auradon, Mal and everyone will go through a wave of different emotions with this new life they're living. Rated T for swearing.
1. Christmas Week: Monday

**Hey** **I'M BAAACCCKKKK!**

 **But I never really left since I've uploaded and updated stories. But I'm back with the sequel to _Lost and Mal. Lost and Mal: The Found Year._ I'm very excited to write this and bring lots of tears into this, whether it be happy tears or sad tears.**

 **So the first couple of chapters are taking once a month, but soon it will be be weekly/daily chapters.**

 **Enjoy my princes and princesses.**

* * *

 **1 Christmas Week. - Monday**

Ever since Mal told Ben that she and Penelope would be moving back to Auradon, Mal and Ben planned together when she would move in and also made plans for Mal and Penelope to visit Auradon as often as possible before the big move in, just so Penelope felt a bit comfortable when she had moved.

So at least every two weeks Mal brought Penelope and herself to Auradon. Sometimes they slept over, sometimes they just stayed for the day and left after dinner. Though Mal wanted to move right away into Auradon again she knew that she had to take it more slowly for Penelope. Plus not to mention that Penelope was still in her school year and she didn't want her ripped out of the school and attend another school for a few short months. Mal figured she'd let Penelope make friends over the summer and then come September, she'd have a couple of friends already.

Mal's two friends in Halloweentown, Sadie and Weston, weren't going to be around during the Christmas season. Weston was going to the mountains with Alex (his boyfriend) and Alex's family while Sadie was up at the North Pole visiting her boyfriend Henry and his family. There was really no one else in town that Mal could celebrate Christmas with, so she and Penelope were heading to Auradon for Christmas.

Monday morning came and Mal was packing up the last of the three bags when she heard Penelope get out of bed and leave her room. Mal stuck her head out of the doorway. "Morning Nelly."

"Morning mommy," Penelope said. "When leaving?"

"After lunch. So we have a few hours." Mal said. She walked over and picked her daughter up, holding her on her hip. "Do you want to go to Jessalynn's house?" Jessalynn's mother to her that Jessalynn wanted to have a little holiday party for a couple of friends.

Penelope smiled. "Yeah!"

"Yeah? Alright then." Mal laughed.

* * *

A while later Mal dropped Penelope off at Jessalynn's house and returned home to relax for a bit before going back to the house and picking up Penelope. After that the two would head off to Auradon for Christmas. They were staying until New Year's and a few days post until Sunday night when they'd go back to the house.

At home Mal was resting on the couch watching television when her phone buzzed.

 **_I hate long meetings._**

She knew who that was. She texted back. _Aww, does Benny Boo want out of the big boy meeting?_

 ** _Oh my god Mal, seriously?_**

 _If Benny Boo behaves at the meeting, he'll get lots and lots of kisses!_

 ** _It's already over. I swear I did behave. But it's just SO FREAKING LONG. Couldn't focus on half the things coz two purplettes are coming to down._**

 _Purplettes? Really?_

 ** _When r u getting here?_**

 _A little past one. One thirty the most._

 ** _Get here soon. I haven't seen you in forever._**

 _U just saw us at D an D's birthday party, the day after Thanksgiving. And like two weeks after that. U saw us about a week ago._

 ** _Reality: You just saw us recently a week ago = a week ago._**

 ** _Ben world: You just saw us recently a week ago = twenty seven million years ago._**

 _Ben, you're a weirdo. But your a weirdo with little crowns on your shorts._

 ** _When do I get those kisses?_**

Mal smirked. She didn't reply but anything else but a wink and ignored her phone. She smiled thinking of seeing Ben again. Plus her friends. She's missed them all and can't wait to celebrate Christmas with them again. It's been years since her last one in Auradon.

* * *

Her first Christmas was wonderful in Auradon. Up until a particular night. Prior to Christmas, Mal went out one night to get some magic crystal rocks that shined brightly. She had to retrieve them on an island a little off to the side of Auradon. Mal snucked out of her room and went to the island. Whilst on the island she met someone whom she had only met one other time (the only time where the barrier surrounding the isle of the lost was opened and closed on Father's day, for this kid to meet his father for once in real life and not through a stupid barrier).

Mal had met Gasper LaGume, song of Gaston. Gasper didn't have his father's dark hair and didn't look as strong or just even close to resembling Gaston. Gasper's mother was one of the identical triplets that fawned over the dark hair hunter. But Gasper's persona was almost an exact match to his man whore of a father. Gasper flirted with Mal the whole time there and even afterward he made up some sort of excuse to hang around Mal. After that day Gasper sent letters to Mal, love letters probably, to her room in the castle. She never opened them because she knew what they were. She rejected him. She was already with Ben.

The castle held a holiday party on Christmas morning at night. Mal was there and unfortunately had met with Gasper again. She still rejected him.

Later that night, Mal got a call from a close friend who needed help out of a house in the woods. She went, alone, to save the friend. Upon arrival though she learned that it wasn't not her friend. Gasper tricked her to go to the house alone. He wanted them to be together. He loved her. Mal rolled her eyes and told him that he wasn't in love with her, he was in love with the idea her being in love with her. Infatuated with Mal. She rejected him again.

She began to leave, but Gasper fought for her to stay. Mal attacked him back and ran out of the house. Mal (thought) she had frozen Gasper with a spell, to give her time to leave, but the next thing Mal knew; Gasper tackled her to the ground and blacked her out.

Next thing she knew; Gasper was on top of her.

Next thing she knew; Mal was pregnant.

She loved Penelope and would never change anything about Penelope's being here. But she hated who Penelope's biological father was. She _hated_ him. She loathed that son of a bitch.

What hurt the most? Mal's family was cursed to having one child. Going back many generations ago, a relative screwed that up for the family. Since then, all the women in the family were only able to have one child. If they tried to even have a second child, something would happen. Since Mal had Penelope, that was it for her. No more children. Which meant if Ben and her ever married than things would be screwed. Mal and Ben couldn't have a biological child and they couldn't adopt either (the curse effects that too.) Penelope was not Ben's child and she was born outside of marriage; she was considered illegitimate to the royal council.

Mal really, really, really hated things in her life at times. This was one of them.

Knowing she was going back to Auradon for Christmas, the same time and same holiday where her life changed forever, Mal thought of it as bittersweet. Bitter at Gasper, sweet for Penelope.

"This is going to be a roller coaster of emotions." Mal said.


	2. Christmas Week: Monday pt 2

**2: Christmas Week Monday pt 2.**

Ben waited outside the front of the castle, on a stone bench, for Mal and Penelope to arrive. He couldn't keep still though as he leg kept bouncing in excitement for the arrival of the two girls. Like he has said earlier in the messages to Mal, Ben may have just seen them recently but it still felt like decades to him that he's seen them last.

* * *

Ben checked his watch and saw it was close to one thirty. Maybe she got caught up in something else back at her house before she had to leave her house. He pulled his phone out to get ready to call her in a few minutes.

* * *

Those few minutes passed. Ben called her. Ben called her cell phone and waited for her to pick up. _Hey, it's Mal. I can't take your call right now so just leave me a message and I'll get back as soon as I can. Have an evil day!_ Of course, voice mail. "Hey Mal,"

"Hey."

"Oh crap!" Ben screamed in horror and nearly dropping his phone. He turned to find the mother and daughter duo behind him. "Mal!"

"What? I just responded to you." She laughed. "We ended up on the other side of the castle by accident."

"Oh, that's OK." He said with a sweet smile. "Hi Penelope."

"Hi Ben." Penelope said with a smile. She held out a blue tissue paper flower held with a green wire (the stem). "Jessalynn has a party and we made things at crafts so I made flowers for everyone."

"Thank you." Ben said and he took it graciously. "It's really pretty."

"Okay you." Mal settled Penelope back on the floor. "Go inside and find Evie now."

"OK mommy." The little girl said. She turned to Ben and said, "Bye Ben."

"Bye Penelope."

The smaller girl turned back inside into the castle, leaving Mal and Ben alone. "So what are Evie's plans today?"

"Baking five cakes for Doug's cousins." Mal said. "I swear someone in that family better have a little girl soon. Seventeen generations of just men and up until Doug's grandpa, only one out of seven had a child." She laughed.

"Did you eat already?"

"Not yet. I've been busy packing and stuff." Mal said. "I could go for a strawberry pie right now."

"I know this great place." He said and took grasp of Mal's hand.

"Cool." Mal said and began walking with him.

* * *

The two of them walked inside the castle and towards the kitchen. They were laughing about something when someone walked by quickly. A blond. Mal paused in step and took a glance...was that...No.

"Mal?" Ben asked. "What's wrong?"

"Oh...nothing." Mal said. "I thought...they looked familiar." She pointed to the blond.

Ben looked over and smiled. "Oh, Jamie? He's Babette and Lumiere's oldest son."

Mal looked over again and, with a better look at his face, saw it was not who she had thought it was. "Oh, he looks so much like someone I knew."


	3. Wednesday Night Mother Visits

**3:** **Wednesday Night. Mother Visits.**

Two mornings passed. They had to be the longest two mornings and nights that Mal has ever experienced She felt uncertainty in her stomach with every corner she turned, every blond she caught out of the corner of her eyes. She wasn't exactly sure if she had anxiety or was just overly worried about something that didn't seem to be possibly true. She hadn't used any form of social media to try and see where he was located or what he's been up too since she last seen him, she didn't dare do that, but she was still a bit apprehensive that there was a tiny, tiny, tiny chance she would bump into him one of these days.

But she ignored that thought. She shoved it into the back of her head and focused on the now. She was with her friends and family now. That's all that mattered. Christmas was less than a week from today and Mal couldn't wait to celebrate with her friends again.

Mal was relaxing in an adjacent room next to her bedroom, where Penelope was taking her nap, sketching in a sketch book some new things. Ben was off doing king business for a couple of hours. Mal was deep into her thoughts when she began falling into deep sleep, dropping her pencil and sketch book to the ground.

* * *

Mal was back into her old bedroom, back on the isle. Still dark, cold and miserable as the way she did before. But why was she back here? "Hello?" She called out. She heard heels clicking behind her. "Who's there?"

Mal turned around and saw, in human form, her mother. She was sitting in her throne chair, leaning a tiny bit, looking at Mal with an evil glare and an evil smirk. "Mal!" She said loudly. "How dreadful it is to see you here."

"Hello mother," Mal said, crossing her arms. "Doing that thing where even in a cage, you can still visit me?"

"Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not." Maleficent told her. "How's the little one?"

"I'm not talking to you about my child, mother."

"She is my granddaughter."

"She's _my_ daughter. I don't plan on ever telling her about you." Mal said and quickly walked up to her mother. "And if I find out you do this to her, visiting her in her dreams, I will go to your cage and burn you with something."

"Aren't you an evil little."

"That's not being evil. That's a mom protecting her child. A _real_ mom. Not someone who abuses their child both physically and emotionally. Not slapping them, not kicking them, not scratching them and leaving scars on their bodies, not telling them they're not good enough—or in our case, being told I'm not evil enough and therefore aren't good enough to be evil— and making me feel like a stupid failure. That's not a real mom. _I'm_ the _real_ mom, mother!" Mal explained, almost wanting to poke her mother in the chest as sort of a 'I told you so!' scene.

"You'll still always be evil. You are now. Having that bastard baby." Maleficent said.

"Don't you even DARE say that about my child, you miserable old hag!" Mal screeched. "My baby is not even close to being that word."

"Like child, like mother." Maleficent said.

"No, I may be the bastard child but my child is _not_ a bastard baby. She was...made from love!" Mal tried to keep a steady voice. Mal was not in love with Gasper at all. But she didn't want her mother to compare her, Penelope, to Mal's own being. Penelope's life is much different than Mal's growing up.

"So the father knows of her? King Ben knows of her?"

"That is none of your concern, mother!" Mal yelled. "You will never know about my child. You will never talk to my child and if you try to do a single thing to hurt my child," Mal went face to face with her mother. "I. Will. End. You." She bitterly told this older woman through her teeth. Her green eyes increased and her eyes glowed green.

Maleficent's eyes also glowed green, an angry glare upon her face. "Don't talk to me like you're better than me." Maleficent spoke harshly. "I'm not someone hiding secrets."

"Shut up!" Mal screamed in her face.

"Do not speak to me like so, Mal!" Maleficent screamed.

Mal lost her temper. She slapped her mother in the face.

Maleficent had a red print hand smack on her face. Ever so slowly, she turned back to Mal. Pure anger and evil in her face, her eyes were bright green with a green fire dancing in the middle. Maleficent raised her hand, Mal knew what to expect from this. Maleficent's hand rapidly came down and was mere inches away from touching Mal's pale skin.

* * *

Mal flinched her body wildly with a loud scream emerging from her throat. "Fuck!" She was breathing heavy as she felt sweat dripping from her head. It took her a couple of minutes to remember where she was and that she was safe from any sort of danger. "Whoo," She laid back in the couch and soothed down. "I'm safe." She whispered.

"Mommy?"

Mal turned and saw violet colored eyes gawking back at her in curiosity. "Oh, Penelope, hi honey." She said. She hoped Penelope walked in after all of that.

"Mommy said bad word." The little girl told her mother.

 _Crap._ "I know. I said a bad word." Mal said, playing with a piece of Penelope's purple hair. "I'm sorry."

"OK." Penelope smiled. "Mommy, can we play dollies?"

Mal looked at her cell phone. Penelope's nap was over with in three minutes anyways. "Sure Nelly." Mal stood up from the couch. "Let's go to the potty first."

As Mal and Penelope walked to the bathroom, Mal couldn't keep her mother's voice in her head. Strange that she hadn't heard from her mother for this long time (last time was when she was on her way back to Auradon after kicking Gasper's ass).

But she didn't like her mother anymore. She still cared about her mother and had some love for the older woman, but she didn't like her. She didn't like how the woman treated her growing up. The only good thing Maleficent taught Mal was one thing: How to be a bad parent. Mal took those lessons to heart, and made a complete 180 degree turn to be a better mother. A wonderful mom.

* * *

 **Aww poor Mal.**

 **But this dream, as well as the next time Mal has a dream with her mother, won't be exactly as what you think these dreams are. Including the one she had on her trip back to Auradon years ago.**

 **There's going to be one or two chapters that will take place on Valentine's Day and I don't have a lot of ideas to write for them. So I'll let you princes and princesses give out suggestions! _Nothing_ with Gasper though! He is, unfortunately, going to be in later chapters.**

 **Thank you!**


	4. The Night

**Hey guys. Be sure to read the author's note at the bottom.**

 **Congrats again to Dove and Ryan! I hope one day they have little McDovens. Hey, that's a nice shipname. McDoven. or McDove. Hahaha.**

* * *

 **The Night.**

"E, I don't know about this." Mal said as she placed the back of her earrings in to keep the earring in place. "My stomach has been flipping and turning all night."

"Mal, it's your first Christmas back in Auradon." Evie said as she finished putting mascara on her left eye. "Why wouldn't you want to go to the holiday party?"

"Because the last one I went too was, like, a hundred years ago." Mal lied. Truth be told, it was _that night._ "I just don't feel comfortable going."

"What if Penelope wants to stay all night?" Evie asked her.

"She hates lots of people at parties. Like balls and stuff. Too many people. And since most of the ball consist of adults and Auradon Prep students, she'll bound to be lonely with the exception of your boys." Mal explained.

"Hopefully you stay long enough." Evie placed her mascara away. "Doug's had to take a test online tomorrow morning around nine so he's taking the boys home tonight when they're all pooped out. I have no homework of any sorts this vacation."

"Finish school soon."

"I still can't believed you graduated early."

"Crap ton of classes." Mal said. "Difficult with a child. How can you do all that plus two children?"

"We're still not sure." Evie laughed. "I'm surprised neither Doug or I have screamed our lungs out yet. How do I look?" She twirled around in her dress; a royal blue tulle dress with ruffles in the front and sequin dark blue straps and a dark blue cape with dotted with little sparkles on the back. A gold tiara on her head, blue bird earrings (a birthday gift from her boys) and her usual ruby necklace.

"Pretty." Mal said. She looked down at her own attire; a purple lace dress with black lace cap sleeves, black ankle heels and a silver dragon necklace with black earrings. "Thanks for lending me the shoes."

"No problem." Evie grinned. "So, where's my little niece!?" She began jumping up and down in place, excited to see Penelope in the dress she made for her.

"I'll go check on her her." Mal said and turned to the attached door to her room. She walked over and popped her head in. "Nelly, how are you doing in here?"

"I can't reach the zipper, mommy." The little girl struggled to pull the zipper up all the way. Mal laughed softly and walked over to the smaller girl. Mal got onto her knees and pulled the back zipper up and slipped the top button into the little hoop on the neck. "All set. Wanna go show Aunt Evie?"

Evie adjusted her tiara twice before finding it spotted in a perfect place and released her hands from it. "Perfect."

"Hey Aunt Evie." Mal sang out. "Take a look at your pretty niece."

Evie turned quick to find Mal and Penelope. Penelope had on a violet colored dress with black lace trimming with a black sequin belt and black child dress heel shoes with purple traps. "Penelope you're so beautiful!" She tried to not squeal loudly.

"You pretty."

"You two ready?" Mal asked. She still didn't want to go, but she knew she had too. She had to get use to attending these events when she moved back and, in case _he_ was there, she would probably have to deal with him. Although dealing with her mother hitting her was a lot better than uttering a single word to _him._ (In her own opinion).

* * *

At the holiday party downstairs their was loud music playing that echoed the room. Bright, colorful lights filled the vast, massive room and various of food and beverages were being served around to the guest invited. Ben stood at the side on the entrance waiting for his friends to arrive. The last of them at least, most were here already.

Ben felt a tap behind him and turned to find three pretty girls standing there. "Oh, hello." Ben said. "You three look wonderful."

"Thank you," Evie said. "Where are my three handsome men?"

"Doug's talking to Chad and Anxelin over there," Ben said as his thumb hitched in the direction.

"Thanks," Evie said. She took Penelope's hand and led her away to where the others stood.

"I probably won't stay too long." Mal spoke quickly after the other two left. "I'm just learning to take my time."

"To get back to the party scene?" Ben asked.

"Yes."

Ben smiled at her and impulsively leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Okay."

Mal kept her eyes opened all night. Everyone in the kingdom and far away places were invited. She stayed close to Ben during the night. She had only left his side when she was close to the children's table to check on Penelope. The little one seemed to be fine. She sat by herself most of the night, playing with the water in her water cup, but nevertheless content with herself. Once Ben was closer to Mal, Mal would get up and follow him again.

The last hour of the night Mal was sitting down at one of the tables with Penelope on her lap, both of them eating some of the chocolate covered strawberries and cupcakes. "You ready to go to bed soon?" Mal asked the half-asleep little girl. Penelope nodded as she cuddled into her mother's arms and rested her head on Mal's shoulder. "Okay honey, we'll leave in a little bit." Mal kissed her forehead.

Mal felt an arm around her shoulder and gently turned to the owner of the arm, careful to not wake Penelope. It was Ben's arm. Mal smiled when she saw him. "Hey," She greeted. "Haven't seen you in an hour."

"Apparently I've forgotten to greet one royal family from the south east of Arendelle, so I had to go and greet every single family member. Every. Single. Member." He laughed, putting his forehead on Mal's forehead. "Oh, am I disturbing her?" Ben asked when he noticed Penelope.

"No, she's fine." Mal answered, shifting her daughter up a bit. "We're probably going to leave soon. Half of the other kids are gone already."

"Yeah, the party is over in about an hour." Ben told her, holding his hand out to take hers. "Can I have one last dance?"

Mal looked at his hand then at Penelope. "I don't know. She's starting to fall asleep and I don't want her to be leaning on the chair in an odd position or her head on the table."

"I'll hold her." A voice from behind said. Both Mal and Ben turned and saw Audrey standing there with a smile. "I don't mind. Jay's passed out drunk over there," She pointed to a table and, truth told, there was a passed out Jay asleep on the table. Literally, on the table and cuddling a flower vase in his arms. "Can I? Please?" Audrey clasped her hands together and pleaded.

"Sure." Mal said and stood up. "Nelly? Audrey's going to hold you for a while. Okay?" The smaller girl nodded, still nearly asleep, and soon was in the new arms.

* * *

Mal and Ben were on the dance floor near the center of the room. It was a slow paced song. Ben's hands on her waist and Mal's arms wrapped around his back and leaning in to rest her head on him. It was a really nice dance and Mal sort of wished it would never end. "I haven't danced like this in a long time."

"What?" Ben laughed. "No high school dances at Halloweentown high school?"

"Oh I went to those sort of alone. But I never danced a slow dance."

"Sort of alone?"

"Well there was a coming dance around the second to last week of September," Mal smirked and looked at him. "I felt fine enough to go to the home coming game and then the dance a few days later. But I wasn't alone. Someone was with me twenty-four seven."

"Oh," Ben rolled his eyes but grinned. "That someone. Got any pictures of your homecoming stuff?"

"Yes. But your not getting your hands on them. I look like a dweeb."

"But you're my dweeb."

"I looked like a horrible pregnant dweeb."

"Yes, but a pretty pregnant dweeb."

Mal rolled her eyes and kept quiet, continuing the dance.

"Mal, can I ask you something?" Ben spoke aloud as they kept dancing. He had wanted to ask her this for a while now, but never felt right asking her until now.

"Sure."

"It-It's kind of personal, but I'm just curious."

"Ask away."

Ben was silent for a moment, hoping he would word it correctly. "Who's Penelope's father?"

Mal kept dancing with him but her face, not looking at Ben's, was still frozen. "What?" She asked. Maybe she heard wrong.

"I asked who's Penelope's father is." He stated. "Do I know them?"

Mal stayed silent and thought how to react. "Maybe." She had no idea if Ben even remembered Gasper. That was just a one day thing.

"Does he live here in Auradon?"

"Maybe."

 _Okay. We're getting close._ "Have you known them for a while?"

"Maybe."

"You don't have to tell me the exact details. But can I just have a name, please?"

 _I should tell him, shouldn't I? He didn't ask for details of it. Just tell him Gasper's name._ "Her...Penelope's father is—"

Mal's mind went into a flashback. Him on top of her.

Mal felt her body begin to shake, her skin became cold (or so it felt to her) and she had goosebumps up and down her arms. Her breathing became irregular and her eyes widened in pain.

"Mal?" Ben's voice made out come out of the flashback. "Are you okay?"

"Y-y-y-yeah," She stuttered. "Um...Ben, I've..."

"What's wrong?" Ben asked her again. "Is something wrong?"

Her throat felt it was closing up. She pulled away and released his arms from her arms. "B...Bye." Mal said, then hurried away quickly.

"Mal?" Ben questioned, his eyes following her. "Mal?"

* * *

Mal had placed Penelope into her bed and pulled the covers up. She jumped into her bed and pulled the covers up to her chin and turned the light off, making the bedroom completely dark.

"Damn it." She muttered a couple of minutes later. "Why didn't I tell him...stupid flashbacks."

* * *

 **AN:**

 **Hey guys. So I have finals coming up in the next week so I may not be updating this or many stories so much, so please be patient.**

 **Also with this story _Lost and Mal: The Found Years_ I have to make a couple of changes, and those small changes sort of change the story. So it'll be a while with that involved too.**


	5. Valentine's Day

**Thank you** _ **pinksakura271**_ **for your suggestion!**

* * *

 **Valentine's Day.**

"No...the velvet cake..." Mal muttered in her deep slumber. "Ben...the red cake...no chocolate...strawberries. Velvet strawberries." She murmured, turning over in her sleep. The five thirty AM alarm woke her up loudly. Mal rolled off the bed, frightened by the loud sound, and hit the floor with a large thump. "Ouch." She said. She raised her hand up and turned the alarm off with magic. "Now I want cake." She pushed herself up and turned the light on. She smiled moments later; Valentine's Day.

Mal hurried off to get ready for the day. She had everything set up already and just needed a couple of things left to do. In the shower she ran through her head all the things for the day until a memory came up. On this day years ago, Ben proposed to her. She said 'no' because she didn't believe she could be with him when she was having a baby with someone else. She then ran away. She attempted to shake it off, but it was hard to shake it off. She's standing in a shower, in the house, in the town she ended up living in for years after running away from Auradon. How was it _not_ hard to think about that memorable day?

Mal finished up and dried off, throwing her combed, wet hair into a bun and leaving the bedroom to go downstairs and make breakfast. She fed Shadow first, then took out the eggs for French toast. She heard her phone buzz and picked it up from the charger. **_Happy Valentine's Day, my love._**

 **You're corny. :p**

 **_I love you. Meet you at 8?_**

 **You're still corny, but yes. Love you too.**

 **_I love you most._**

 **OK Mother Gothel.**

Mal and Penelope packed up her schools things and soon were out the door to walk to the school. "Mommy? What time are you going on date with Ben?"

"Ben's coming over around eight," Mal said.

"Is Ben sleeping over?" Penelope asked, jumping over the cracks on the sidewalk.

"No, he has to go back to Auradon when the date is over." Mal explained. They came to a full stop in front of the school play yard. Mal got down on her knees to meet at eye level. "Have fun at school today, Nelly. I'll see you at three. Okay?"

" 'kay," Penelope said and hugged her mother. "Love you."

"Love you too," Mal hugged her back.

* * *

After dropping off some Valentine's Day cards and treat bags to her friends around town, Mal hurried back home and magically had the cleaning tools in her house (broom, mop, bucket, clothes, ect) start cleaning up the place as soon as possible. Mal opened a cook book and looked through it, hoping to find something the three of them could eat together. She found a pasta casserole dish that she was sure they would all enjoy. She read the ingredients, gathered the stuff and began making the casserole.

Halfway through the day Mal watched the news (laughing at Weston's blushing when he looked into a direct camera that was being held by his boyfriend, Alex). A commercial came on and it was a commercial for engagement rings. Mal sighed. A reminder. Mal looked at her left hand ring finger, it's bare emptiness. There should be two rings there; the ring that said she was to be married and the ring of marriage. _Sometimes I wished I never ran away. But then I never would of ever met Sadie and Weston and my other friends. But still._ Mal looked back at the television and enjoyed it for several moments.

Flashback. It was vivid to Mal too. When the flashback passed Mal found herself on the floor, cuddled up in a ball, sobbing for a good thirty minutes before the oven beeped and forced her to stand up and get the food. She took the food out and set it on the counter, letting it cool for a while before wrapping it up. Shadow came in through the window and rubbed up against Mal. She rubbed Shadow's head gently. Shadow purred loudly. "Let's hope I don't have a flashback tonight, Shadow."

* * *

Hours later Mal had finished brushing her hair before walking down the stairs and finding Penelope on the couch watching a cartoon movie. Mal let her daughter keep her day clothes on, a red plaid red dress with a jean jacket and white socks. Mal changed into a black lace off the shoulder dress and purple ankle boots. "Nelly," Mal called out. "Go wash your hands upstairs. We're going to be eating soon."

" 'kay Mommy." She answered and jumped off the couch.

Mal rubbed her head as she walked by her then heard a knock on the door. She walked over and took a breathe before opening the door. There in front of Mal was someone her age with brown hair, wearing a white dress shirt with a black suite jacket and black sacks. "Aw, a delivery for me?" Mal smirked.

"Of course," Ben said. He held up a bouquet of flowers with his left hand; red roses. "Pretty roses for a pretty woman."

"Thank you," Mal said and took them in her hands. "They smell nice. Come on in."

Ben stepped inside after Mal and looked around the place. He hadn't been here in a while, but it still looked the same as before. Plus cleaned up a bit nicer than before. "Do you always clean up before guest come over or am I just special?"

"Not sure." Mal laughed. "I'll be back in a moment."

"No rush. Is Penelope here?"

"Yeah. Didn't I mention that I couldn't find anyone to watch her?" Mal asked him. Ben shook his head. "Oh, I swore I did. Oh well. Yeah, I couldn't get a sitter for tonight, but I wouldn't think you mind."

"No, don't worry." Ben smiled. "If you ever can't get someone to watch her, just bring her along on the dates. The more the merrier."

"Cool." Mal said. "I'll be back."

Mal placed the flowers in the white vase on the kitchen counter and admired them for several moments. She took the pasta casserole out of the oven and placed it on the counter. She pulled out three plates and cups and conjured them all to set up by themselves at the table. "Perfect." She smiled. She heard a giggle in the other room.

Mal peeked out from the corner and saw the giggle was from Penelope. She saw her holding a teddy bear in her arms and Ben gently poking at her side, causing the giggle.

"Weirdo." Mal laughed at herself.

* * *

Dinner went by well. Penelope ate her food pretty quickly (as usual) and went off to play with Shadow in the living room for a while. The two young lovers enjoyed themselves, including feeding one another their food, Ma giving Ben one end of the spaghetti string and the two of them slurping on an end until their noses met, where Mal released her end to give the whole piece to Ben, then Ben giving Mal the last of his meatballs **(Anyone get the Disney reference?)** By the end the two of them were washing up their plates.

"So what was everyone else up to tonight? I know Carlos and Jane went to see a movie and Doug and Evie were going to some fancy restaurant." Mal said.

"Audrey made a scavenger hunt game for Jay to play all day, giving her time to make dinner for the two of them back at her house. And Jay told me the other day he had a fun gift for her."

"What was it?"

"I don't know. He said it was a fun gift. That's it." Ben said.

Mal smiled. She had a few ideas in her mind as to what Jay might of gotten Audrey. The last time she spoke to the two of them individually they both wouldn't stop talking about one another. Also when they were together, as much as they drove the other one angry and crazy, Mal still saw love in them. She laughed to herself. _It might be a race between Evie and Audrey as to who will walk down the aisle first._

"What's so funny?" Ben asked her.

"Nothing." Mal said, but her smile couldn't fade.

"Liar liar, magic on fire." Ben laughed as he put the plate on the rack. "Need help cleaning up in here?"

"No, I'm good thanks. I'll be in the other room in a moment." Mal said.

"Okay." Ben said and left the room.

* * *

Ben walked into the other room and saw Penelope on the floor staring at the television holding Shadow like a baby in her arms. Ben walked over and joined her on the floor. "What are you watching?"

"Cartoon." She said. "I saw it at Lacy house once a long time ago."

"Nice. So, did you guys do anything fun school?" He asked.

"We had a party in our classroom for lunch. We put cards for classmates in the bags we made a last week and ate food." She said. "Do the people who live in the castle do that?"

"No." Ben said.

"You guys should do that. Just use a box or brown paper bag, dress it up and put cards inside." The little girl suggested while her eyes were still glued to the TV.

"Maybe I'll try that next year." Ben said.

"Okay." Penelope said, rarely paying attention now. Ben smiled and poke her side again, just like before, and made her giggle. "No poking." She said.

* * *

"Can you tell me why again you put peanut butter on the strawberries?" Mal asked Ben as he took one out of the box. "Isn't it suppose to be chocolate?"

"I have those too. But I tried this about two years ago at one of Moms' social events," Ben said as he held up the strawberry covered in peanut butter. "It makes it less sweet than it already is. The strawberry juice blends on the peanut butter and makes it easier to taste."

Mal looked at the food then looked at Penelope. Mal thought this was gross and she knew Penelope didn't want to try strawberries. "I'll try if you try." She said to her little clone.

"Strawberries are yucky."

"You've never tried one." Mal laughed.

"They look yucky."

"Try one." Ben said, holding two of them in his hands now. "I promise they taste really good."

Mal took hers and sniffed it. Well, it smelled like a strawberry covered in peanut butter. She shrugged and took a bite out of it. Her inner mouth drooled in delight. It was like the first time she had a strawberry, ever, but even more delicious than before. And a hell lot better than chocolate on a strawberry too. "Hmmm! This is good. Nelly, try it."

Penelope looked at the strawberry, still in Ben's hand, and made a face. She shook her head, her purple locks moving with her head. Mal held out hers, a portion still covered in peanut butter. "Nelly, take a bite out of mine. If you don't like it, you don't have to take the one in Ben's hand." Penelope stared at the food before taking it and studying it. After several long moments she bit into it and ate it. "How is it?"

Penelope chew it for several seconds, a smile formed on her face after she swallowed. "Yummy." She said, dropping the stem on her plate and took the other one in Ben's hand.

Mal took several more from the box and divided them up between herself and Penelope. Ben smiled as the two purplette girls continued to eat their peanut butter covered strawberries. He softly laughed at himself before picking up his own and biting into it.

* * *

An hour later or so Mal pulled the covers up over Penelope. She tucked the sides in so that the little girl was snugged in the mattress. "Goodnight sweet girl," Mal leaned down and kissed her daughter's forehead lightly. She switched the light off, leaving the nightlight on, and left the room with only a crack in the door left opened.

Downstairs Ben was putting his jacket back as Mal walked down the stairs in her bare feet. "I should be heading out. I've got a meeting with some people in the morning around seven and have to wake up by five."

"No problem." She yawned. "I'm heading to bed in a bit anyway. How you getting back?"

"The bus is leaving in a half hour."

Mal smiled. She turned to the living room, held her hands up, and within seconds there was a portal in the center of the room. "That should bring you back to your room. If not, the castle at least."

Ben grinned at the kind girl. "Thank you." He said, putting his arms around her waist. "Are we getting any closer to May yet?"

"Close. One day less in a couple of hours." She replied. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. Ben kissed her back, pulling her up a tiny bit on her waist. Ben was so deep into the kiss that he lightly dipped Mal, feeling her mouth curve into a smile when he dipped her. He didn't want this kiss to end. Mal didn't either.

But lips had to part away when they needed to breathe, but their foreheads stayed close as Ben kept their dipping position. "Are we close to May yet?" He laughed gently.

"One day closer." She said.

* * *

Hours later Ben was staring at the empty spot next to him as he rested and got ready for sleep. _Soon she'll be there. Just a few more weeks._ He soon fell asleep gently, dreaming of his purplettes.

Mal was still awake. She was on her bed, rocking back and forth in fetus position, sweat falling down her back and face. "Stop it...stop it...stop it." She whispered. She covered her hears and crunched her body together. "Get out, get out, get out stupid flashback!"

* * *

 **OK, so yes, one time I put peanut butter on a strawberry out of boredom and it was pretty good! Yes, my taste buds are wild.**

 **So much adorableness in this chapter, it's unbearable.**

 **Descendants 2: So I was looking at the IMDB page recently and it looks like Freddie and Jordan are going to be in it, they will be portrayed by the actresses who voiced them in Wicked World. Not sure how true this is since I've heard IMDB isn't always true, but if it is than YAY! I love Jordan!**

 **Also can we please have Mal and Jane fly since their faeries? And kiss dipping?**


	6. Play Parks and Catching Up

**Hello my princes and princesses!**

 **Good news! I'm done with finals. Better news. Mal's birthday is going to be a VERY important day in this chapter. Can you guess what will happen in that chapter? So many options, but just one answer.**

 **So yes, keep September in mind, specifically September 15.**

* * *

Mal was back in Auradon this weekend only. She had to take all of next week to get orders done and sent out. Evie was taking her boys to the their favorite park, so Mal brought Penelope along to play with them. At least it gave time for the older girls to catch up.

Dwight and Derek were on the play structure climbing on the monkey-bars and going town the slide, while Penelope decided to go to the in ground kiddie pool to play with the water toys and such.

"So, Mal, when are you getting back here for good?" Evie asked as she pulled out a bottle of purple nail polish.

"Mid-may. Maybe the twenty first." Mal answered. "And we're keeping the house just in case we need it for anything, so we're not moving too many things from the house."

"I can't wait until Doug and I find a suitable house for our family. Right now it's just a small, ranch styled, one level house with two bedrooms and almost no backyard."

"What's the dream house made of and numbered?"

"Not a castle, but I can dream." The princess giggled. "A big house with four bedrooms—Doug and I, each boy, a guest room and maybe baby number three."

"Wow, you're thinking of baby three already?" Mal laughed.

"I'm not! I'm all set with two boys! I didn't get a C-section and I didn't want to drug them so I had to push both of them out, naturally, and it was the worse pain in my life." Evie told her. "It's Doug who wants a third baby."

"Well, look at the life he grew up with. He had a million friends to play with."

"I told him that if he wants a third baby, he needs to get pregnant." Evie said. "Can I say something a bit weird though?"

"What's that?" Mal asked her.

"If we did have baby number three, is it odd to say I'd want a boy and not a girl?" Evie wondered. "I mean I've already had little boys for almost five years now in November. I'm so use to boy-ish things and not girly things. So I'd want a little boy."

"Nah. Sounds normal. And there's a good chance you'd get a boy. Hasn't it been seventeen generations of just males being born?"

"Yes."

"At least you can get pregnant again," Mal muttered. "If I could get pregnant again I'd want another little girl."

"I'm sorry." Evie said, holding Mal's wrist.

"It's fine," Mal said. "I've got Nelly now. That's all that matters to me the most. But I still hate my thirty-fifth great grandmother. Selfish brat."

* * *

Meanwhile at the long, kiddie pool table, Penelope had her hand in the water and moved it around with the energy she had inside. She pushed a tiny blue boat that came in her direction, back in the original direction, and caught her eyes on two girls who were at the opposite end of the kiddie pool table. A girl with blondish colored hair and a girl with dark brown hair. The blondish haired girl was using a pink bucket to pick up water and toss it in the air while yelling, "Rain storm!" while the darker haired girl wildly splashed the water around and yelled, "Hurricane!"

Penelope smiled and walked over to the two girls. "Hi," She said with a sweet smile. The two girls looked at her. "I'm Penelope."

"I'm Sonya. This Geraldine." The darker haired girl said. "Why are you wearing a wig?"

"I don't have wig on." Penelope answered.

"Your hair is really purple?"

"Yeah. My mommy has purple hair too. That her over there with my Auntie." Penelope said and pointed to where Mal and Evie sat.

Geraldine took a look over where this new girl pointed and saw the older purple haired girl. She gasped loudly. "That not really your mommy, is she?" She asked Penelope.

"Yeah. She my mommy."

Geraldine stood up and put her little hands on her hips. "Let's go Sonya."

"Why?" Sonya asked, standing up with her friend.

"This girl a freak." Geraldine said. Penelope's violet colored eyes widened in shock. "She a dragon freak."

"Why?" Sonya asked.

"Her mommy's mommy is that Maweficent dragon. She the one who try to hurt my daddy's friends at that party for that big boy."

"King Ben?"

"Yeah, him." Geraldine replied. "Maweficent wanted to hurt everyone. Maweficent a dragon freak and this girl a dragon freak."

"No I'm not!" Penelope said. "Can dragon's do this?" She used her index finger and pulled up water into the air, creating a slightly, off-shaped heart. "See, dragons can't do this."

"Dragon freak."

"No, I'm a fairy. Mommy is a fairy. Maybe her mommy a dragon, but mommy and me area both fairy." Penelope explained.

"Dragon freak." Geraldine said. "And there a difference between a dragon freak like you and a dragon like that Mewshu dragon that hang out with Mulan. Let go Sonya."

Sonya followed behind Geraldine as the girls walked away and to the swings. Neither girl turned back to look at Penelope.

Penelope was left standing there, alone and a bit upset. She wasn't a dragon, she was a fairy. And sure, she can pull up water like nobody else really could. But that didn't make her a dragon or a freak. Freak was a bad word. Penelope sat down at the water table and pushed a plastic toy boat around.

* * *

Back at the table Mal and Evie were finishing up either reading a magazine or painting their fingernails. Evie was talking about her classes and some assignments she had coming up fairly soon, including an assignment that would bring her out of town for a week to help give tours at a national science museum. Mal was listening for a while but soon lost interest when Evie started to talk about an upcoming Father's day family gather ("With all those dads and uncles and grandfathers around, it's going to be a Mardi Gra party!").

"Mal, what's up?"

"What?" Mal came back into the world. "What happened?"

"No, I mean what's up? You were spaced out for a while." Evie said.

"Oh nothing much, I sort of spaced out when you started talking about father's day stuff." The purple haired girl answered. "Did I ever mention to you about my biological dad?"

"Your mom called him a weakling and kicked him out."

"No, that was some other guy who lived with us. My bio dad was that guy on the docks who worked with hook."

"Ew! Him!?" Evie shrieked. "He's just weird and gross! Your mother probably had to be drunk enough to fall for the guy."

"Moment of weakness," Mal laughed. "That's not all of it. I said that if I ever had a kid that I'd want my kid to know their dad. At least know them, even if the dad wasn't around."

"Has Penelope ever asked about him?"

"Once when she was close to three years of age...my birthday actually. I just told her that he was too busy to keep an eye on her. She sort of took that answer and never said a word since. I overheard her once repeat my words 'He's sleeping at a new girls house every night.'"

Evie giggled. "Sounds like Chad back in school."

"If I ever had a kid with Chad..." Mal laughed.

"So..." Evie held a pause. "Who IS Penelope's father?"

"Uh...a guy with a dick."

"Mal."

"Evie."

"Please? Just give me a name, that's all. Do I know him?" She pleaded. "Just tell me the name. That's all I want."

Mal sighed and held her pinkie up. "Pinkie promise on my mother's scepter, Beasts rose, Belle library, Ben's crown, your mothers makeup and Mulan's family honor temple."

"Promise!" Evie said.

Mal leaned in and whispered the dirty bastards name. "What!?" Evie shouted. "Him? But he's so...weird! I saw him last year on the fourth of July and he was flirting with me, even after I told him I was engaged!"

"Gasper is the son of Gaston." Mal said. "Between him and the twins, I can't tell who's more of a jerky flirt."

"All of them!" Evie said. "Oh...I can' just picture Ben's face when he finds out."

"E."

"I can't say a word to anyone I know." She said. "Huh, the girlfriend of the son who's mother was woo-ed by the man who fathered the son, who fathered the daughter of her grandfather's woo-ed girl son's girlfriend."

"Good job, Cat in the Hat."

* * *

Back home in Halloweentown hours later Mal was putting down a glass of milk in front of Penelope, who was poking at her gravy covered mashed potatoes. "Had fun today, Nelly?" Mal took her seat across from her daughter.

"Yeah."

"You okay?" Mal asked her. She noticed that after the park, Penelope's attitude was a bit on the low side. "You seem upset."

"I'm tired." She lied.

"Yeah, you were up pretty late last night." Mal told her. "You're going to bed early." Mal said. Penelope looked up, a little rain cloud forming above her head. "No Penelope, don't start with me tonight."

"Okay." She muttered, poking her food again.

* * *

 **So Evie knows who the father is, but she DOES NOT know exactly how he became a father.**

 **We've met two new people; Sonya and Geraldine.**


	7. Parties, Pills, Pizza, Pie, Prepared

**Parties, Pills, Pizza, Pie, Prepared.**

"But I hate my birthday!" A boy whined. His girlfriend, however, gave him a look. "It's just that, I don't _like_ my birthday today."

"You're just mad because you were born on April 13 and today happens to be a Friday, Mr. Superstitious." His girlfriend replied. "And you know how hard Evie and Mal worked on this. It's Mal's first time celebrating your birthday with you in years."

"But _Jane_ I don't like it." Carlos told her. "And it's suppose to be a surprise party. I can't act surprised."

" It's also some new friends of yours who are celebrating too." Jane said. "I made the cake this year."

"Fine." Carlos said, crossing his arms. "But if Mal's black cat shows up, Shadow, and crosses my path I'm going to throw myself out of my own party."

"It's my party and I'll cry if I want too."

* * *

Inside of Audrey's home, it was decorated head to toe in red and black colors, with flowers, dragons, dogs and balloons decorated everywhere. All the adults and young adults were inside (Minus birthday boy and Jane). Chad was tricked into lookout by being told Anxlin wasn't at the party yet, even though she was just hiding out in the kitchen until birthday boy arrived.

"Where is Anxlin?" Chad asked. "She's never late to parties."

"Oh she's probably hanging by the soup kitchen," Ben laughed. "You know her and feeding soup to the homeless."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Jane should be close by now to the party," Lonnie said as she looked up from her phone. "She just texted me, they're past the bridge."

"Jay better not get drunk again. I can't deal with him being hungover in the morning." Audrey spoke up. "I told him that he is officially that drunk uncle and he responded 'Hey, everyone's gotta have that one drunk uncle. No great party stories come from the mouth of someone who chocolate milk!'"

"What if it was spiked?" Lonnie asked.

"That's what I said and he just laughed at me." Audrey smiled. "Are Mal or Evie here yet?"

"I think they're just pulling in now."

Audrey turned around and spotted the two girls with their boyfriend/fiance and no children. "Where are the kids? I thought we agreed kids could come to the party."

"The boys are with my cousin Sabrina and her husband Ralph." Doug said.

"Penelope's with her friends Lacey and Jessalynn." Mal answered.

"Geeze and I actually remember to bring kid board games for the kids if they got bored." Audrey sighed. "Oh well, I guess." She then spotted Mal's uneasy appearance. "Are you sick?" She asked concerned.

"Oh, yes. I'm fine." Mal answered. "Uh, where's the bathroom?"

"Upstairs to the right," Audrey pointed behind her. She heard a crash in the other room and the sound of Princess Mei and Yao's son, Bo, was soon followed by the crash. _"Shit! Don't anyone tell Audrey! I'll fix it!"_ Audrey turned on her heels. "BO!" She ran into the other room.

"I'm starving," Evie announced. "Let's get something to eat."

"You okay?" Ben asked his girlfriend and rubbed her back with small circles. "We can just go back to your place. I'm sure Doug would understand."

"No, I just need to use the bathroom." She gave a warm smile.

* * *

Upstairs in the bathroom, which was _not_ pink as much as Mal expected, Mal splashed cold water on her weak, frail face and looked back into the mirror. She's had no sleep the past couple of week. Too many nightmares and flashbacks. She's lost some weight due to not being hungry because of the flashbacks and the moods that come with them. She sighed as she opened her bag and dug through the mess and pulled out a bottle of water with a bottle of pills. One pill was to help with her mild-depression and the other was to help ease her anxiety.

She opened the bottles, took one at a time and chased them with water, then splashed more water in her face. "That should help for now," She muttered. "Stupid bastard."

* * *

Two hours into the party, which Carlos ended up being surprised, everyone was enjoying themselves. Mal was enjoying the party herself. She couldn't remember a time she had laughed this long in a long time. She challenged Carlos to a soda drinking contest and won, challenged Jay to a pizza eating contest and lost, but challenged both Ben, Jay, Doug and Lonnie to a strawberry pie eating contest. Guess who won?

Evie was standing in a corner texting her cousin-in-law about how to cure Dwight's upset stomach (mushed bananas), when she felt two arms wrap around her. "Hi new best friend."

"Hi Weston," Evie laughed. She turned and saw both him and Sadie. "When did you guys get here?"

"Just now," Sadie answered. "I told Mal and Evie I'd be out late though."

"And you Mr. Blushy face?" Evie smiled.

"Hot date with Alex." He said. "So, where's Mal and birthday boy?"

"Carlos is playing pin the spot on the dalmatian, a game Audrey had brought along if there were kids here. Mal's upstairs. I was just going to check on her fairly soon." She said with a sad voice. "Poor girl, I think she's been sick all day but she was determined to come to the party."

"Carlos!" Weston yelled and went into the other room."

"If he was single and Carlos was gay than we'd have a cute couple in Auradon." Sadie smiled.

"Sadie, can I ask you something?" Evie asked. The shoulder length blonde nodded. "Is there any reason why Mal left Auradon and went to Halloweentown?"

 _Damn I hate Mal sometimes. But she's a big girl, she can tell it on her own._ "She got pregnant with someone besides Ben and then, actually, didn't plan to get to Halloweentown. I think she said during our first meeting that she thought it was a made up place. Remember that huge three day hurricane at the time? She was on her little dingy raft, fell off that and then ended up on the shore of Halloweentown."

"Oh, that stuff I knew. But is there anything specific about Mal's pregnant? Like with whom?"

"A jerky McJerk-Jerk." Sadie giggled. "But no, that's all she's mentioned to me."

"Great." Evie said. She was hoping for more, but that would probably mean that she'd had to tell Sadie what she knew. And she promised too not say a word to anyone at all.

* * *

A couple of more hours past. Mal hadn't eaten much since the pie eating contest and wasn't that hungry either. Ben had taken two slices of pepperoni, her favorite, and held it up to her. "Eat it." He said sweetly. "You haven't eaten in three hours."

Mal smirked. "Are you keeping track of my eating?"

"A little since you've lost a bit of weight." Ben told her with a small smile. "Just take it one bite at a time."

Mal smiled and took a small bite, chewing it slowly and then swallowing the food. Five more bites and Mal took the plate herself to feed herself.

"So, should I be worried about anything when you girls move in?" Ben asked. "Or be prepared for anything?"

Mal shook her head.

 _He_ had nothing to worry about.

 _She_ did.


	8. An Alternate Decision

**An Alternate Decision.**

Ben stood outside the doors of the council room at Auradon City Hall. The council had ordered a meeting with Ben to discuss some important futures in Auradon. He wasn't nervous at all, but his gut told them to prepared for anything and everything that was possible to be brought up in a council. He wasn't too worried though; most of the council consisted of those who saw the best and positive side of things (even Grumpy). The only time they all lacked that skill was when Ben made the proclamation of bringing children from the isle to come to Auradon.

Ben was called into the room. Upon his arrival into the room he noticed that the council was not the usual council. The council consisted of Audrey's grandparents: Leah, Stefan and Hubert. Chad's grandfather; Charles Charming. Snow White's husband; Edward "Ted", and his parents; Edward and Eleanor.

"Sit down, Ben." Stefan began.

"I'd rather stand, thank you." Ben said. "This is not the usual council."

"No, this is more of a royal family council." Leah told him. "Everyone here is part of the royal families."

"Birthed into the family, if I add!" Charles Charming added.

"If that is so, where is Trition?"

"Busy planning four of his six remaining daughter's weddings," Leah explained. "But we held a meeting a few weeks prior to today and he attended the event to join in our discussion about what we are speaking about today."

"Which is what, if I may ask?" Ben wondered.

* * *

Over at Evie's house, Evie was having a little tea party with the girls while all the men were outside playing tackle football and other sports. Ben said he would stop by for a brief moment to see everyone before going back to the castle to work on some stuff.

Everything went fine and well in the beginning. Then Ben around and he tried to shadow his annoyance and anger, but Audrey saw right into it. "What's got you so angry?" She asked, just as all the boys came in to get food.

"I'm pissed, that's what." Ben said.

Evie could see the stress and frustration in his face. "Dwight, Derek," She turned to the two boys standing next to their daddy. "Two boys favorite television show is on." Within moments the boys ran out of the room happily, moments after that the television was turned on. "Go on," Evie said.

"I just had a council meeting with all the royal family members. Specifically, all birthed into the families." He said. "Audrey's family, Chad's grandfather, Snow White's husband and his parents."

"That's not the usual council," Lonnie said. She noticed Chad banged his head on the wall. "Chad?"

"Sorry Ben." He said. "I overheard grandpa mention that meeting this morning, but he said it was next week. I was going to tell you when you dropped by as a heads up for the meeting."

"Then again knowing your grandfather Chad, he's always mixing up dates to confuse others." Audrey chimed in. "Just from the list of who was there I know what this could be about."

"I'm just frigging pissed." Ben said, trying to keep calm.

"Why was there a different council?" Doug asked.

"It was a royal family council. They wanted to share their concerns about my family," Ben began to explain. "They wanted me to break up with Mal so I can find an eligible maiden to marry."

"And what is exactly wrong with Mal?" Audrey asked as she placed her hands on her hips. "What's make her not an eligible maiden?"

"Yeah, she's not married." Jay said.

"Telling me to find an eligible maiden is code for: Finding a single, virgin maiden."

"So Mal has Penny? Big whoop." Chad said. "There a couple of families who have kids before marriage."

"I know that, but the royal council said it was different. They basically told me that I had to break up with Mal and marry a maiden. If I didn't, then they said Penelope couldn't be the next heir to the thrown since she's not blood and born outside of marriage." Ben explained. "And it's Penelope, not Penny."

"I'll remember that."

"Couldn't you guys have a second kid?" Audrey asked.

"No. Mal's family has a curse that only allows one child per family." Ben said. "Maleficent had Mal, Mal had Penelope and Penelope can have one kid only and so on."

"Who cares?" Carlos asked. "How important is that rules?"

Ben, Audrey and Chad looked at him with similar facial expressions: Trust us, it's _that_ serious of a rule.

"Oh." Carlos said as he understood the unvocal message.

"Ya know, I always thought the isle kids has it worse when it came to having families growing up," Jay began to say. "No, I was wrong. You Auradon royal family member kids have it the worse."

"No shit." The three of them said in union.

"Hey, what about adoption?" Chad asked. "That legally counts for the 'born within marriage' rule. Dad told me."

"I've never heard that!" Audrey shouted.

"That's what my dad said."

"Even if that rule applies, it wouldn't work. Mal can't adopt because adopting a second child _is_ having a second child, and the curse would find a way to prevent it."

"So since you're with Mal and Mal only has Penelope, what's going to happen?" Jane asked.

"We'll be together, but the family reign ends with me."

"You still have fifty years to live. You're good for the next five decades." Jay laughed. "I'm starving."

"Jay, you ate all the food in my house this morning." Audrey pointed out with a smirk.

"Yeah, I'm pretty hungry too." Doug added in. "You wanna stay Ben?"

"No. I've got to get back to the castle." Ben sighed as he stood up from the chair. "I've got work to do and I've got a few frigging pillows to beat up."


	9. Mother's Day

Mal could smell something downstairs in the kitchen, but it wasn't a bad smell. It smelled very sweet and delicious. She didn't know exactly what it was, but she had an idea of what it was. Smirking Mal turned to her side, facing away from the door, and pretended to keep sleeping.

She heard the door open and tiny feet on the ground walk in her direction. She felt the covers shift down as something, or someone, climbed up on them and get on to the top covers of the bed and climbed over to her feet. She did her best to hide the smile.

"Mommy?" She heard her little girls voice question, followed by feeling her poke at Mal's bed sheet covered leg. "Mommy?"

Mal turned and sat up to find Penelope smiling. "Yes, Nelly?"

"Happy mommy day!" Penelope cheered.

"Oh Nelly!" Mal smiled. She sat the bed tray magically hovering over the ground. The tray had some easily made breakfast meals and drinks on them. "Thank you, honey."

"I made brakefest on my own." She said with smile. "And I make this in school." She held up a card, folded in half, and handed it to Mal.

Mal opened the card and saw the beautiful picture her daughter made. It was the two of them playing on a grassy area with flowers and trees surrounding them. "This is great, Nelly. I love it." Mal said sweetly.

"I made waffels with strawberry syrup." Penelope said. Mal looked at her strangely. "What Mommy?"

"You used the stove?"

"No, magic used the stove." She said. "I pour milk and water on my own." She then used her little index finger and moved the bed tray over and sat it in front of Mal. "My magic getting better, Mommy."

"Yeah it is. This look good." Mal said. She picked up Penelope and sat her in between her legs, behind the tray. "Let's eat it." She said, then magically brought up a television for them to watch while they ate and talked.

* * *

An hour into the morning, after they finished eating, the mother and daughter relaxed on the bed watching television cartoons. "Mommy?" Penelope spoke up. Mal looked down at her. "Are we going to see your Mommy?"

"My mommy?" Mal asked. Penelope nodded. Mal didn't know what to say. Penelope had never asked about her maternal grandmother before. But she was getting older now (which Mal already hated) and she had a feeling that Maleficent would be brought up one day. "No," She said as she brushed some of her daughter's purple hair behind her ear. "We're not going to see her."

"Today?"

Mal sighed. How could she explain to Penelope why she had no relationship with her mother? "My mommy and I, we don't talk to each other any more."

"Why?"

"Because your grandmother and I, we're not too friendly with one another." Mal said. "You see, your grandmother did things, bad things, to very nice people and she tried to get me to do the same stuff. But I was never good enough for her. Over the time after that we drifted apart."

"Will you ever see her, Mommy?"

Mal sighed. "That really depends on her. I'm opened to having a relationship with her again, but she's got to put in her half of the friendship. I can't play both parts of the friendship."

"Oh." Penelope said, slightly getting the idea. "Mommy?"

"Yes Nellypop?"

"You my best friend."

Mal smiled, rubbing Penelope's hair. "You're my best friend too."

* * *

Tons of hours later, a little past midnight, Mal and Ben were texting back and forth on their cellular phones. Mal was sitting on her front porch in her pajamas, Ben was in his room at his desk lacking work. Ben stopped texting Mal, but called her instead. "What if I didn't feel like picking up the phone and talking?" Mal asked upon answering her phone.

 _"I'd be very upset. Besides I had a question and thought it be easier to say on the phone instead of waiting twenty minutes for you to text the words."_

"My text skills aren't that bad."

 _"How did you come up with Penelope's name?"_

"Oh that's easy. I looked in a baby name book and came across it one day. I liked the sound of it and it was a full name for the nickname Nelly, which I liked too. If I hadn't found Penelope, than her name would have been Nelly Jacie Faery."

 _"Oh, that's cool. Breaking the name chain...you know, not giving her a name that begins with the letter 'M' and stuff. How'd you come up with her middle name?"_

"I wanted to name her after Carlos, Evie and Jay. If she had been born a boy, her name would have had been Jacob Carl as a first name, Emilio as a middle name. J as in Jay, A as in the second letter of Jay's name and Carlos' name. C as in Carlos and E and in Evie. But instead of Jake as a nickname, Jace in stead. Since I had the name Penelope picked out as a first name for a girl, I figured I could make Jace her middle name but make it more girly. Jacie. J as in Jay, A as in the second letter of Jay's name and Carlos' name. C as in Carlos and Ie and in Evie."

 _"Wow, that's creative."_

"The boys and Evie loved that I put their names together in her name."

 _"That was really nice to do that."_

"Yeah." Mal said. Then had a question, since Penelope brought it up this morning. "Not that I care at all too much, but how's my mother?"

 _"Believe it or not, she is still the same size after all these years. Why ask?"_

"Penelope was asking about her earlier, that's all." Mal replied. "I was hoping that maybe Penelope could get to know her. But I don't want her to get attached to the lizard if she is going to stay a lizard."

 _"I'm sorry about that."_

"Not your fault that she has no idea what love is. She was no real mother anyways. She's not my mother. Not really. She never cared for me like a real mother should care for her child. Nelly taught me that. Nelly wasn't even a second old yet, hell she wasn't even _born_ yet and I loved her more than my mother loved me." Mal said. "The second I heard her heart beating on that sonogram and saw her little peanut sized body on the screen, I was more in love with her than I was with any object or person in my life." She laughed. "Sorry not sorry Ben. I loved her more, and still love her more, than I do with you."

 _"Well she's a lot cooler than me, so it's acceptable."_ He laughed on his end. _"My phone's dying."_

"No worry. I'm just about to let the sand man come into my room and lead me to dream world."

Ben was silent for a moment. _"Sand man is real?"_

"No, not really." Mal laughed. "Goodnight."

 _"Night. Love you."_

"Love you too."

* * *

 **Short, sweet chapter.**

 **Next chapter; Mal and Penelope move into the castle! :)**


	10. Fay May Day: Faerys Moving Day

**Fay May Day: Faerys Moving Day.**

Well, the day had come. May 31. Saturday. After a long 'See you on the other side of the portal' party last night in Halloweentown, Mal and Penelope were moving to Auradon for food. Mal was overly excited to be moving back to her old home with her friends. She'll miss her Halloweentown friends, but they're just around the corner. Penelope was a bit excited to be moving too, but still worried about living here permanently.

The two girls packed up the last of their suitcase and took one more glance around the living room, holding hands. "Kind of weird that we're not coming back here for a while." Mal said. "We've lived here since you were two years old."

"How long is that?"

"Four years in October." Mal answered. "Lots of memories in this house." Okay, so Mal was becoming emotional thinking about leaving here. There literally were too many good, happy memories in this house. Hell, she had mostly and mainly good memories in Halloweentown. Mal looked down and squeezed her little's girls hand. "You excited?"

Penelope nodded.

"Alrighty then," Mal said. "Wanna help me out?" Again Penelope nodded. "Okay. Hold your hand out."

Penelope held up her free hand as Mal held up her own free hand.

Mal said the spell, "From Halloweentown depart we now, on this the morning of June the first morning eve; back into the Auradon world, through the portal we take our leave."

Soon a doorway opened; bronzed corners with the middle part divided open and a blue-gray mist appearing in front of them. The sign above the door read in gold; _**To Auradon.**_ Mal and Penelope smiled and picked up their suitcases and walked through the portal.

* * *

Ben finished writing down the last few words on the list he had in front of them and checked it over three times, making sure it was all perfect. Hopefully Mal could remember most of these places. He was sure she would since she's been traveling all over Auradon the past couple of months.

"Perfect." He smiled.

He felt a large gush of wind blow from behind him. Ben turned and found the familiar bronzed corner walls/doors of a doorway and the middle part diving open to reveal the blue-gray mist inside. Ben smiled and rose up just as two girls came jogging out of the doorway.

"Mommy? How come sometimes it take ten minutes to get there and other time it take ten seconds?" Penelope asked.

"I have no idea. But at least this stuff takes seconds to minutes and not hours." Mal smiled. She spotted Ben across from them. "Look Nelly, it's an old man."

"Funny." Ben said with a chuckle. "How are you two doing?"

"We're fine." Mal said and put her suitcase down. "Just a little weird to not being going back." Mal said.

"What that Ben?" Penelope asked, looking at the paper in his hand.

"Oh it's a fun thing for you two," Ben said. "A scavenger hunt."

"Scavenger hunt?" Mal asked. "Why a scavenger hunt?"

"Because they're fun." Ben said. "You guys wanna rest first?"

Before Mal could 'yes', Penelope happily said, "No. I wanna hunt."

"Guess we're going on the scavenger hunt." Mal smirked. She took the paper from Ben's hands. "You going with us?"

Ben sighed. "No. Work."

"All right then." Mal said. She looked at the paper and said the riddle to Penelope. "Riddle me this; I'm tall and bricked with my sunlight as bright as a flower...Ben, what the hell sort of riddle is this? It doesn't rhyme."

"I tried."

"This doesn't make sense."

Ben smirked. "Relax, purple long hair." He winked.

"Don't tell me to relax Benjamin! And my hair isn't that...oh," Mal said. She laughed. "Okay, I know where we're going. Come on Nelly!" She said.

The two girls ran out of the room, holding hands, ready for their new adventure.

* * *

Hours passed. Fifteen different locations were found and discovered by the two fairy girls. It was around four thirty in the afternoon now, six hours passed their arrival. Mal and Penelope were both exhausted from their scavenger hunt, but happy and had the time of their lives traveling all over Auradon.

Mal, carrying Penelope on her hip, entered inside the castle and walked around looking for Ben. She asked Cogsworth and Lumiere where Ben could be and they both pointed to the library, and continued back to their bickering about some sort of event coming up.

Mal found the library and saw Ben inside speaking with Belle and laughing, just outside the doors of the library. Mal walked over unnoticed and stood there for a full minute, Penelope standing at her side, before she was noticed by Belle. "Mal," She said sweetly and went in to hug the girl. "I haven't seen you all morning. How are you?"

"I'm good," Mal said and hugged Belle back. "Your son decided that Penelope and I should go on a scavenger hunt upon our arrival."

"Mom, I had meetings all day. I had to keep them occupied for most of the day." Ben explained.

"Well that would explain why you needed to find the book with the map of Auradon the other week," Belle said with a smile. She noticed the smaller purple haired girl and squatted down to her eye level. "Hi Penelope. How are you?"

"Good." Penelope said with a smile. She heard her little tummy grumble. "Mommy? Are we eating soon? I'm hungry."

"One of the chefs made some cookies earlier. Would you like a cookie?" Belle asked

Penelope nodded, then looked up at Mal, who nodded. "Go head. Just not too many."

* * *

Once Belle and Penelope were out of site Mal turned back to Ben and smirked. "That was a fun adventure today." She said. Ben wrapped his arms around Mal's waist and pulled her in.

"Finally alone time," Ben said softly.

Mal giggled. "I haven't had this alone time in weeks."

The duo leaned in and connected lips. Sweet, caring, passionate lip locking. No interruptions from anyone at all. Ben pulled out for a brief second. "I love you," He whispered.

"I love you." Mal whispered back, then kissed him again.

Their kissing lasted for a few more, wonderful minutes.

"What am I? Chop liver?"


	11. The Enemies' Sons Are Friends?

**The Enemies' Sons Are Friends?**

 _"What am I? Chop liver?"_

Those words. Those cold, dirty words. Those cold, dirty, ugly words that Mal knew too well from the deep voice she knew too well too.

Mal turned behind her and found that stupid blond hair boy with the yellow shirt, red blazer, jean pants and black boots. In other words; dressed like his father, but hair from his mother (and her identical sisters).

"Gasper!" Ben cheered. "You're back from your trip."

"Sure am." Gasper said with a smile, not noticing the girl in the room for a brief moment. Once he did though, he had no idea who she was. "Who's you friend?"

"Mal." Ben said sweetly. "You guys remember each other, right?"

Gasper turned to the girl and studied her face for a few moments. She looked a little bit older with her hair now shoulder length longer, but still exactly the same. "Hey! Maleficent!" He said. "Aren't you the queen of hide and seek."

Mal kept staring at him. Completely frozen and unable to say or do anything. She forced a nod though. "Uh...huh."

"So where have you been hiding?"

"Town...Halloween." She stuttered.

Gasper lifted an eyebrow at her, confused. "Halloweentown? I thought that was a folk tale my mom told me."

"Uh...huh." Mal said, still in a daze.

"Cool. Last time I saw you was...I think Christmas," He smirked. "That was a fun night."

Mal grinded her teeth, but kept quiet

Ben sense something was off with Mal, like her whole attitude had altered to a different direction. "Um, Gasper, I'll call you later."

"Oh sure." Gasper said. "Catch you guys later."

Gasper was soon out of the room.

"That weirdo. I haven't seen since September when he went to help a company start up a new bank over—" Ben began, but saw that Mal was still frozen in her place. "Mal? Are you okay?"

"Since when did you become all buddy-buddy with him!?" Mal yelled.

Ben jumped. "Two years ago. We met up at a pizza place and sort of just talked and had a lot of things in common." He answered. "Is that really bad?"

"No! It's just..." She calmed herself. "He's literally like his dad and his dad is a complete asshole to people."

"He's not that bad." Ben said. "A little conceited but nothing too bad."

Mal huffed and rolled her eyes. "Look, I know I am nothing like my mother, but Gasper is very much like his father."

"How so?"

"He flirted with Evie a while ago when she was still newly engaged. In front of Doug too."

"Well that does seem odd. But Gasper is a really good person."

 _Doubt it._ Mal bitterly thought.

* * *

Hours later after helping Penelope get use to her room and tucking her in, Mal slept in her own room next to Penelope's (Ben's was further down) and cuddled with a pillow. She sobbed softly to herself. "He's not good...he's not good...he's not good."

* * *

 **OK! Weird title, I know, but it was the only I could think of that would show you guys that, yes, Ben and Gasper are friends. They've been friends for two years now.**

 **How in the world is this going to affect things?**


	12. Cats and Cookies

**Cats and Cookies.**

Mal sneaked out of the castle with Penelope after lunch, while Ben was busy doing his business and before she caught up with Jay at tourney practice. Mal was sitting under a tree sketching in her book, thinking deep into her thoughts, while Penelope was off at the sandbox building castles with her toy doll, Dolly. (she hated that dolls true name and refused to say the name until she was forced too). It was warm out so Mal sat barefoot with her gladiator sandals to her, in jean purple shorts and a black tank top.

She was sketching out a lonely, gloomy castle dangling off a cliff by a thread of foundation. But her mind kept wondering off every few minutes or so when she looked up and saw her pretty girl playing. Mal suddenly felt warmth near her and found her cat, Shadow, cuddling up next to her. Ever since Shadow arrived in Auradon, she's been M.I.A because she's found fun adventures. But she had her collar on that Mal purchased before the move and usually came back to the castle a little before dinner time.

"Hey Shadow, where've you been all day?" Mal asked as the cat laid on her sketchbook. "Sure, go ahead, lay on my book. I wasn't doing anything fun." Mal laughed, petting her head softly. "I was just sketching and watching Penelope play with her doll. And thinking."

The cat shifted so she laid on her back on Mal's lap, wanting a belly rub. Mal did just as she asked. "I saw Gasper last week on the day we moved here and it's been weird since then. I haven't seen him since I barged to his house and basically attacked and blamed him for ruining my life. But it turned out pretty good."

"Meow." Shadow said.

"Yeah, stupid Gasper. No, I haven't told Ben. Actually to be honest, it's just been so long that I feel like there's no point. I told him about my one child rule so...but I wanna be with him forever." She sighed. "Damn family curse. Shadow, got any ideas how I could break this?"

"Meow."

"No? Fine." Mal sighed again. "Can you try to do one thing for me? Can you make sure that Gasper never meets Penelope and Penelope never meets Gasper?" She asked. "That idiot has no right to even meet her, he has no right to meet _my_ daughter."

"Meow."

"Oh come on, you can totally pull a Scar and throw him off a cliff!" Mal laughed.

* * *

At the sandbox Penelope had finished building her little sand castle. She then magically added some sparkles to it and a flag on top of it. She smiled and picked her up little doll and showed her doll the sandcastle she made. "Isn't it pretty?" She asked the doll. "It looks like the one Mommy made last summer."

She got thirsty. Penelope stood up and hurried over to Mal to get a juice box from her, as well as a single chocolate chip cookie for a small snack. Mal went back to her sketching while Penelope skipped back to the sandbox. Upon her arrival she saw that her sandcastle was knocked down. "What happened?" She asked. She looked around and couldn't find anyone near her that might of knocked it down. "Oh well." She sat on her knees and began to build it again.

She heard some laughter from two girls and looked over at the open space where two girls were playing with dolls. It was Sonya and Geraldine. Sonya had a princess doll with brown hair and a red dress, Geraldine has a princess doll with blonde hair and a pale blue dress. They were the only other girls in the park playing with dolls and since Penelope had her own doll, she figured she could ask and play with them.

Penelope walked over to the girls and saw that they were drinking from little tea cups. "Hi," She said with a smile. "Can I play? I can just sit here."

Sonya looked at Penelope. "Girls with dolls only."

Penelope held up her doll, still smiling.

Geraldine made a face. "What _is_ that?"

"This is my doll."

"Where's her head?"

"She's a headless voodoo doll," Penelope said as she held up the rag, headless doll with a raggy dress. "Her name is Bertha."

"Bertha!?" Geraldine yelled. "That an ugly name."

Penelope frowned. "But...I like Bertha."

Geraldine turned her head away, snooty style, and said, "We _don't_ like headless dolls. We _don't_ like voodoo dolls because of what that Dr...Dr...Sonya, what's his name?"

Sonya thought about his name. "I think it's Dr. Felicitar, Geraldine."

"Yeah, Dr. Felicitar. What he did," Geraldine continued. "And we _don't_ like Dragon Freaks."

"I'm not a dragon though. I'm a fairy." Penelope said, almost whining. She's been over this with them already. "My mommy is a fairy."

"No, she's a dragon like her mommy Malwificent. Malwificent is a dragon, your mommy a dragon and you a dragon. Dragon freaks." Geraldine said. She then stood up and picked up her own doll. "Let go Sonya."

"But I like this spot. There's shade." Sonya said. Geraldine gave her a look. "Fine." She stood up and took her doll with her and turned to walk away.

Penelope frowned. A second later, her juice box and cookie were snatched away. "Hey!" She said. "Those are mine."

"Mine." Geraldine said, sipping from the straw and then bit into the cookie. She turned away to follow Sonya.

* * *

Penelope sighed. She sauntered away back to the sandbox. When she came back she saw a blond girl with curly hair building a sand castle. Further looking, it was close to the same one Penelope had made earlier. "Hi."

The blonde girl turned and saw Penelope. "Hi." She said. "Where's your juice box and cookie? You can't eat that fast unless your my daddy's friend who chews food quickly."

"That girl Geraldine took it." Penelope said. The blonde girl stood up and brushed the sand off. "Did you knock it down?"

"No. Sonya did. But I think Geraldine made her do it." The girl said. The blonde girl saw her mother waving at her. "I gotta go. Here," She picked up her unopened box of juice. "I had extra one today. This is grape."

"Thanks."

"Bye." The girl said and ran to her mother.

Penelope smiled.

* * *

 **Oh sweet, sweet, Mal. When will she tell her Ben?**

 **Geraldine is one mean girl, Sonya not so much. But yay for the nice little girl, who'll we will keep seeing time to time in this story, and who her parents are.**

* * *

 **AN: GUYS! I read the first couple of pages of the new book, _Return to the Isle of the Lost_ on amazon and it looks so good! I'm going to buy it as soon as I can!**


	13. Date Night

**Date Night.**

"Stupid zipper," Mal complained as she attempted to pull the damn thing up. "I hate you." Mal sighed and leaned over in defeat. Mal donned a pair of medium blue ripped jeans, purple converse and a dark purple shirt, with black spike-like sleeves, that was held together from a zipper on the back. The zipper was not cooperating with her tonight. She already was having a rough day.

First off, she had to make a doctors appointment to see if she could up her prescription for her mild-depression and anxiety. Lately, they haven't been working as much as before and it didn't help her at all. She was up almost all hours of the night, took naps during the day and rarely ate. The past two days Ben had to feed her like a one year old in a high chair because Mal was just _not_ hungry.

Second, she's been trying to avoid Gasper while she was in town. She's spotted him a couple of different times within the past few weeks either shopping or pulling a Gaston on a girl and her emotions ranged from worry and panic mode, to full on range but pulling herself back from beating the blond brat in public.

Third, she's had her usual nightmare last night, as like every couple of nights. Her mother somehow visiting her in her dreams and telling her that Ben will leave her because of Penelope.

She was glad that Ben had tonight free. He's been busy too with various of king duties in Auradon. He had something special planned with her and told her to dress casual for the date. Mal was just glad that Evie had no word of it or she'd be dolled up head-to-toe right now.

Mal tried one more time but the zipper wouldn't pull up all the way. She heard a knock on the door and walked over, still attempting to get the zipper up all the way.

"Who is it?" She called out.

 _"Ben. Are you all set?"_

"Uh...close." Mal said. "Just give me five minutes."

 _"Okay."_

Mal took her shirt off and pulled the zipper up, hoping she could fit it around her head. Nope, that didn't work. This was the only casual date top that she owned so there wasn't anything else for her to wear. She sighed once more as she picked up her simple, black shoulder bag and opened the door. Ben stood there fixing a loose button that came out of the hole on his shirt. He looked up and smiled at her.

"Hey," He said. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks," She said and felt her cheeks blush pink. "Can you help me with the zipper though? I can't pull it up without it snagging on the clothing."

"Sure."

Mal turned around and held her hair up for him to zip up the shirt. She felt his hands close to her skin; cold yet warm hands. She felt him unhitch the zipper from the purple thread, shift it a bit so it wouldn't get caught again and then begin pulling the zipper up to the back of her neck. Mal could easily picture in her heads where his hands were as he pulled up the zipper.

Strange part? Although it probably wasn't as noticeable as she was thinking it was; Mal knew that the back of her bra, where the clips were, were noticeable if someone wanted to pay attention to every detail on the back of her shirt.

"All set." Ben said and pulled his hands away from her back. "Ready?"

* * *

Mal assumed they were going to the enchanted lake, it was _their_ lake, so to say, when it came to romance. Usually they sat on the circle with the picnic blanket but Ben took her to the cliff for a change of scenery. Mal loved it more up there than down there on the circle. Up here from the cliff she felt superior. She felt like she was flying without having to use her magic to fly or find a carpet to fly on either.

She would remember the scenery from up here, and paint it later tomorrow.

"You like it up here?" Ben asked her, picking up a fork filled with spaghetti.

"Yeah. It's beautiful." Mal said admirably. "And to think I only thought it was beautiful from down there on the stone."

"Wanna go cliff diving?" Ben chuckled.

"No way Pocahontas." She laughed, picking up a strawberry and eating it. "I'm not going to try and drown again."

Ben gawked at her oddly. "You _still_ can't swim?" Mal nodded. "Well looks like I'm going to have to give you lessons." He said as he sat up more and scooted closer. "Private lessons."

Mal smirked as he leaned a bit closer to her. Mal also leaned into and connected lips with her kingly boyfriend. It was sweet at first, then passionate. Mal hadn't felt like this with him in forever. She pushed into the kiss more, practically laying on top of him as Ben rested his back against the grass. Ben wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her down, then up when she was bodily connected with him. Mal came out of the kiss to take a quick breathe, but Ben only gave her three seconds before connecting with her lips again.

Ben rubbed her back softly, his hand resting against the zipper and flipping the silver tag up and down. His fingers would then dance up and down her entire back, stopping in the middle where he felt her bra was. His thumb circled around the center for a few mere moments before his hand returned to rubbing her back up and down entirely again. The fairy giggled in the kiss when he rubbed her back again, gently stroking the crook of her neck with his hand.

Mal guided his hand to her zipper and placed it there, then pushed it down. Ben understood what she wanted, yet he was surprised that she was ready to do this. In public too. But he put those thoughts into the back of his head so that he would oblige with what Mal wanted. Ben pulled her zipper down until it reached the end. He danced his fingers back up to where her bra was, dancing around the clips with his index finger and thumb.

Mal shook her head, pulling out of the kiss. "No." She said.

Ben nodded. He would _never_ rush her into anything. He never did in the past, never will in the future, so why would he rush her now?

Mal went back into the kiss, cupping his face (Ben cupped her toos) and both of them laid down again, their kissing turned to making out. Heated, making out. It was _killing_ Ben that he couldn't take her bra off. Maybe her shirt? Ben held onto the bottom of her shirt. Mal sat up, looking at him weirdly. Ben released the bottom of her shirt. Maybe not.

Mal smirked. She loved to trick him. The area of the Enchanted lake was dark, their only source of light was the half crescent moon behind the two of them. Mal crossed her arms in front of her shirt and pulled it off and tossing it to the side. Ben could make out the half dressed girl above it and it hit him that he wasn't dating a girl, he was dating a goddess. A fucking hot goddess too.

Just like when he had checked her out at the carnival, not realizing it was her, Ben had checked out Mal before. Something was different about her though, now. Her body was shaped a bit different than her teenage body, as he remembered it. But he couldn't put his finger on it.

Ben was silent. Mal was worried. Did he not like her? Like _this?_ Geeze! She was surprised she had gotten this far without having a panic attack or flashback. She was half clothed, making out with Ben in her bra, in the middle of their date at the Enchanted lake. Maybe he didn't like what he saw and didn't know how to word it. Silence was good enough for Mal.

Mal reached over and took her shirt, starting to pull it up.

Ben came back to reality and saw what she was doing. Ben softly held her arms in his hands. "What are you doing?"

Mal put the shirt down and looked down at him. "You don't like what you see." She said in almost a matter-of-fact tone.

"What?" Ben asked in a whispered.

"You don't like what you see." She repeated. "Look, I get that my freaking breasts aren't like the ones I had when I was sixteen, but they can't be that bad." She said.

The boy below her felt his cheeks turn bright red. He knew something was different, other than her generally body no longer having it's teenage/young adult body, but a woman's body, but he wasn't sure what. Now that she pointed that out, Ben looked and saw that they were a tad bit bigger than before.

 _A woman's body,_ he thought to himself. _That's kind of hot!_ Ben grinned and then leaned up and blew a raspberry into her stomach, causing Mal to giggle loudly. Good. Ben took the opportunity to switch them around. He turned Mal so she was laying on the picnic blanket and he was above her, looking down at the giggling girl. Sorry, giggling _goddess_ below him. Ben leaned into the crook of her neck and placed individual chaste kisses there before putting a kiss at her ear and whispered, "I _love_ your body as much as I _love_ you," He placed another kiss on her forehead then returned to her ear. "Every scar, every mark, every body part that makes you the Mal Bertha Faery that I love, is worth it."

"Your cheesy." Mal whispered. Her face was burning red, though she was glad that it was partly canopied from the night.

Ben kissed her cheek and said, "Your saucy."

"What the hell!?" She laughed loudly. She (and Ben) covered her mouth to cover their giggles. After a few moments Mal's laugh settled down. " _That's_ cheesy!"

Ben chuckled. "You make me cheesy." He leaned into her neck again and kissed her there deeply.

* * *

Mal closed her eyes as she felt Ben kissing around her neck and face, giggling again when he kissed the tip of her nose. Ben then shifted his position so that his kisses would head towards her body. Mal wrapped her arms around Ben and pulled him closer, enjoying this sweet moment with Ben.

But kissed her other side of the neck for a quick change before going back to her chest area, and Mal's mind went into fight-or-flight mode; this time it chose fight. "GET OFF ME!" Mal pushed Ben off of her, knocking him off completely. This shocked Ben, who looked at her instantly and confused.

"What happened?" He asked her concernedly.

Mal's mind was still in protective mode. "I told you to get off me TWICE!" She yelled.

"No...you didn't." Ben told her.

But Mal wasn't fully here at the lake. "Get the fuck away from you, you fucking bastard!" She screamed, punching the cheek of the person in front of her; Ben.

"Mal?" Ben called her name out. "Mal!?" He said louder, shaking her a bit. "Mal, it's me, Ben!"

Mal's protective mode turned off and she shook her head. "Oh shit..." She felt her face turn red in embarrassment.

"Mal, what happened?" Ben asked her. "You acted like I wasn't me, Ben, but someone else."

"I uh...I uh...I uh," Mal looked for words. She had nothing. Mal stood up rapidly and grabbed Ben's jacket from the ground.

"Mal?"

"Gotta go." She said rapidly and ran off as she placed the jacket on her.

Ben stood up, taking her shirt from the ground and ran after her. But he was too late; Mal was flying in the sky on the way back to the castle.

"What just happened?" Ben asked himself.

* * *

Mal went back to the castle. She checked on her daughter, who was fast asleep thanks to Jane telling her a few stories, then went into her own room and locked the door to prevent anyone from coming in. She sobbed.

Ben was knocking on her door an hour later, Mal pretended to be asleep.

She heard Ben walking away. Once the footsteps were gone, Mal rubbed her head. "What the hell just happened?"

* * *

 **Oh dear, that was a awkward, sad and bad date for Bal.**

 **Pretty proud of myself, I never write good romance scenes like this. I actually had considered to make a different scene for the story and make this scene it's own story.**

 **Mal, near the end, was suppose to be having some sort of living memory. I can't recall what it's called (if it has a name) but it's suppose to be like living an actual nightmare, hence why she was yelling at "Gasper" all of a sudden.**

 **:(**


	14. Pre Celebration

The next couple of days Mal felt great. She slept and ate well for the most part and she's had no bad memories or flashbacks to the events. She's had more time to spend with her friends, her cat, her daughter, Ben and more importantly her art creations. She's only paid half attention to them. Between spray can painting, canvas painting and pottery, Mal had too many ideas in her head of what to create.

Mal had her hair tied in a ponytail, a rag gray shirt with dark gray jeans and barefooted. She stared between a blank canvas and gray clay resting on the pottery sat that Mal brought from home. She stared between the two looking for an idea to come to mind. Mal decided to work on her canvas idea first. She grabbed her black spray can and shook.

"Mommy?" A small girls' voice spoke up.

Mal turned and saw Penelope in a simple, lavender summer dress and her hair still in the bun that Mal tied up this morning. "Hey Nelly," Mal said. "What's up?"

Penelope looked up and saw blankness. "Nothing."

Mal rolled her eyes. "How was lunch with Belle?"

"Yummy. Belle makes really good peanut butter jelly sandwiches and she shaped them in funny shapes." Penelope said. "Ben's daddy was funny. He came to ask Belle something at that guy, Cogsworth, came and told Ben's daddy something and Ben's daddy tried to not let out that big roar that he made last week during that dinner."

"Yeah," Mal laughed as she leveled down to Penelope's height. "I remember that."

"Can we go to the beach?" Penelope asked. "I haven't seen the beach in a long time."

"How about in a little bit?" Mal asked her. "Mommy's working on something for work right now."

"Okay." Penelope said. She didn't seem to bothered by it, so she turned around and left for her room.

Mal turned back to the canvas and stared at it. Crap. She lost the image in her head. She sighed and stood there waiting for the same idea, or a new one, to come to mind.

* * *

Ben was outside in the courtyard making decisions about the July fourth celebration. He had already decided on the colors and drinks for the guest and was now just taste testing the food options. The appetizers, the dinner plates and little dessert snacks (there was already a large cake being made for all the guest to dive into). He's poked his fork and spoon into the two options in each category and couldn't make the final decision for each one.

"I still wished we could just do appetizers," Ben muttered as he poked at the first one.

"Hi Ben."

Ben turned to his side and saw Penelope standing there, with her headless doll in her arms. He smiled. "Hey, Penelope."

"What you doing?"

"Tasting food for the fourth of July celebration next week," Ben said and then sighed. "I'm not a huge fan of picking foods."

"Why?"

He smirked. "Too many to pick from."

Penelope looked at the table, which was a bit taller than her, so she stood on her tip toes to look at the different plates. "What's that?"

"Hot dogs rolled in a croissant. They call it pigs in a planet."

"Why?"

"No idea," Ben lied.

"And what's that?"

"Potato skins with guacamole and bacon," Ben answered. "Want to try them?" She nodded.

Ben picked her up and placed her on his lap, holding her so she wouldn't fall off. He handed her the two foods, one at a time, letting her bite and taste into both. Each time, Penelope make a yucky facial expression. Ben laughed at both.

"I like hot dogs." Penelope told him.

Ben did the same process with the two main meals, finding that she only made a face for the second option. She liked the first one. He repeated the process a third time with the two desserts; a fudge brownie in the form of a cupcake with either red, blue or white frosting and sprinkles in mixed red, blue and white as toppings; or the lemon cakes.

"How's the lemon cake?"

"It okay," Penelope said.

"How's the cupcake?" Ben asked, holding up a cupcake with red frosting. Penelope bit into it. She had a smile when she pulled away. "Yummy?"

"Yeah," She said.

Ben chuckled. "You got frosting on your nose," He said as he used his index finger to wipe it off of her nose. Penelope took the frosting off the cupcake and wiped it on Ben's nose.

"You got frosting on your nose now," She laughed.

Ben took some of the frosting from his nose and painted it on her forehead. "You have it on your forehead now."

Penelope took another cupcake from the table, wiped the frosting off with her index and middle finger, and smeared it on Ben's jaw. "Now you have it on your mouth."

"That's my jaw, silly."

"It still mouth." Penelope laughed.

 _"King Ben!"_ Someone from inside called for him. _"We need some help in here with Mal! She's throwing paint at Cogsworth!"_

Ben took Penelope off his lap. "I'll be right back." He said and turned to go inside quickly.

* * *

Penelope stood there for another moment before she jumped up and took another cupcake. She turned to go find an open space to summon a spell and go visit either Jessalynn or Dwight and Derek to play with them. She turned a corner, not realizing she bumped into someone.

"Ow," She said after she had fallen to the ground.

"Hey! Watch it kid!" The man said.

Penelope looked up and saw the man with short, blond hair and a red blazer. "Sorry." She said.

The man stared at her for a couple of minutes and asked, "Do I know you?"

Penelope never met this man. Her mommy said that she wasn't allowed to talk to strangers. Or was it don't go with them? Either way, she knew to not take _anything_ from a stranger. "I can't talk to strangers." She said and walked away.

"Hey, I'm no stranger." He said. "I know...Ben," He pulled out his phone and opened the gallery. He selected the picture of Ben and him, taken last year, during a tourney game at Auradon Prep they attended. "I know him."

Penelope peeked at the photo. It was this man and Ben in the photo. "Okay."

"What's your name, pretty girl?"

"Penelope." She said. She held up her headless voodoo doll and said, "This is Bertha."

The man smiled at her kindly.

"Well it's very nice to meet you, Penelope." He said. "My name is Gasper."

* * *

 **Oh...my...rotten...core!**

 **GASPER!**


	15. Vivid Red, Plain White, Depression Blue

**Vivid Red, Plain White, Depression Blue**

The fourth of July celebration had arrived a week later and through the anxiety and mild-depression Mal had, Mal couldn't be happier. She use to snicker and laugh at the vivid bright fireworks from her rooftop back on the isle, but secretly Mal liked the bright colors, and was upset that she missed her first actual Auradon, July fourth celebration. So this was her first one with Ben and Penelope.

Mal ended up sitting on a chair and painting a couple of kids faces with this face painting kit she had in her closet. At least ten different kids lined up in front of her already, with one kid having his face being painted on. She casually would glance over at the other table where the other children were sitting together and look at Penelope, then sighed.

She's been acting different lately. She doesn't like going to the park as much as she use too before and when Mal asked if she had any friends here in Auradon from the park, Penelope would shake her head. She also mentioned that she didn't want to go to school and when Mal asked her why, all Penelope answered was "I miss my friends in Halloweentown."

Mal just hoped Penelope would make at least _one_ friend soon.

* * *

Over at the children's table Penelope sat in a chair settled in the middle, avoiding the party guests. This was party was too big, she didn't like big parties like this one. But she did like the fourth of July. Penelope took her juice box and stabbed the straw inside of the hole. Before she could sip into it, someone snatched it from her hand. She turned and found it was Geraldine.

"Dragons do not drink juice boxes." She said, sipping on the straw.

"I'm not a dragon!" Penelope told her for the billionth time. "I'm a fairy."

"No, fairy are teeny tiny." Geraldine told her.

"Fairy Godmother isn't teeny tiny."

Geraldine stared at her for a moment and then said, "Well, she a mommy. Mommies have to be big."

"Fairy Godmother is Jane's mommy and Jane's big."

"Jane is _half_ fairy, so she big because of her non-fairy half." Geraldine said. "You a dragon and your grandma is a dragon and your mommy is a dragon."

"Me and mommy are not dragons! We faeries!"

"No, you are a dragon." Geraldine said. She then saw the bowl of ice cream in front of Penelope and saw it was half melted. She smiled as she whacked the vanilla ice cream off the table and onto Penelope's casual, lavender dress.

"No!" Penelope shouted, but her cry was silenced over the booming DJ music. "My auntie helped me make this dress!"

"That cause you bite her head if she didn't help you." Geraldine said.

* * *

Mal finished painting the last girls face. "There you go, Sonya," She said and brushed back some of the little girl's curled hair.

"Tank you!" Sonya said and looked in the mirror. "If I find my friend Geraldine and she wants one too, can you paint her face?"

"Sure." Mal said with a smile.

"Okay. I go find her." Sonya said and skipped away.

Mal put the paint brush down and she looked over to see Penelope upset. Mal's motherly side took over and she stood up to go check on her.

Five steps into the walk and she felt someone walk behind her. Then an eery voice said to her, "How's our baby?"

Mal whipped herself around to find that blond bastard. Her emotions went high up in anger and annoyance. "Excuse _me_?" She sneered at him.

"How's our baby?" Gasper asked her. "I haven't seen her in a while."

"Who's her?"

"My daughter. Ya know, Penny." Gasper told her.

"Ha! Don't make me laugh you _fucking_ bastard," Mal told him, thankful that the music blocked out her voice from everyone to hear her yelling at him. " _Penelope_ is _my_ daughter!"

"It takes two to make one."

"But she is _my_ daughter. Not yours. You have no right to even claim her as yours, you low-life piece of worthless shit." She said.

"Never told me she was born." Gasper sniffed. "It's okay," He laughed. "I don't have to deal with dirty diapers."

If this were a cartoon, steam would be violently be blowing out of Mal's head and ears right now. _I don't have to deal with dirty diapers._ Did that idiot just say that to her!? "You WHAT!?" She yelled.

"Hey, I also didn't speak up because I didn't want to get some child payment order from the court. I would of volunteered to help."

Volunteer? **_VOLUNTEER?_** Did this idiot just refer _her_ sweet and treasured little Nelly to some sort of **_charity case!?_** "You've fucked up my life already asshole, I don't need you to fuck up _my_ child's life."

"Our child."

"Are you kidding me!?'

* * *

Ben made his roundabouts in the courtyard of the castle with the others as the band continued to play while the DJ took a break. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and having fun. Ben grabbed a snack and juice box and took a walk towards where Mal was suppose to be painting faces, when he saw at the kids table that Penelope was alone and looked upset.

"Hi Penelope," Ben greeted her and reached down to her eye level. "How are you doing?"

She shrugged. She was thirsty and hungry, but didn't want to be a tattletale on Geraldine.

Ben could sense there was something wrong. He spotted the stain on her dress. Ben asked, "Did you have ice cream?"

"Sort of. My bowl fell and stain the dress and hit the floor." She said.

"Did you have a juice box?"

"No."

Ben smiled and held up his. "Want mine? I'm not a flavor of...grape," He said after he read the bottle. Penelope didn't take it at first, but she was thirsty, so she took it and thanked it. "Where's mommy?"

Penelope looked back at him and shrugged. "Face painting still I guess." Her voice was still sat though.

* * *

"Listen to me you worthless piece of oxygen in Auradon, Penelope is _my daughter_!" Mal yelled into Gasper's face. "I hate you for what you did to me!"

"You asked for it when you came alone."

"You piss me off more than Audrey did when I first arrived and trust me, I wanted to slap and burn that bitch off the freaking universe!" Mal screamed. "Penelope is _MINE!_ She is all _MINE!_ "

"Geeze Maleficent," Gasper said. "You keep talking like she's a trophy to be won. You're a terrible parent."

Mal's anger rose higher than the atmosphere could even level up too, higher than Zeus ever could. "Excuse. ME!?" She shouted at the top of her lungs.

* * *

 **Seconds earlier...**

"Are you sure you are okay?" Ben asked Penelope. She nodded. "Okay...want to go find Mommy?"

Penelope thought about it. Maybe finding mommy would be good since she could probably leave early. "Okay." She said.

Ben smiled, but then frowned when he heard a familiar scream. Even over the loud, booming band music, he could hear her (nobody else could though). " _Excuse. ME!?"_ Ben looked up and saw Mal.

She was fifteen tables over with Gasper. She pushed him violently over the table, breaking the table in half and therefore having food and fruit punch fall on Gasper's body. Mal turned around and began running in Ben's direction.

"Mal?" Ben asked, but she pushed him too. "Mal?"

Mal picked up Penelope and ran out of the courtyard rapidly and unnoticed by the others.

* * *

She ran inside the castle and down to her and Penelope's bedrooms. _"Time for bed, time for sleep, time to dream in our pajamas and lay on our sheets."_ Mal muttered. In a matter of seconds, Penelope was in her little pink nightgown and Mal was in her purple tank top and black pajama shorts.

Thankfully the sounds from the courtyard couldn't be heard from up here in the bedroom. Mal got into Penelope's room and tucked her in. "Mommy, it only eight."

"I know Nelly," Mal said softly. She tried to hold her emotions in. "But...we have to go to Halloweentown tomorrow." She told her. "Mommy has work to do. You can, uh, go see Lacey."

"Okay. G'night mommy."

"Goodnight Nelly," Mal said sweetly. She stared at her beautiful little girl's face. She leaned in and kissed her little cheek. "You make me so happy. I love you."

"I love you too."

Mal turned the lights off and left to go into her room. She shut Penelope's bedroom door and turned, just as she heard Ben's voice booming. "Mal!?"

 _Crap._ Mal turned to find him jogging. "Keep your voice down, please." She said.

"Mal, what's going on?" Ben asked her, his voice toned down.

"Nothing. I'm sleepy." She said.

Ben looked at her bewildered. "You just had an argument with Gasper and now you are tired?"

"I'm fine!" She snapped. "Just leave me alone!" And with that, Mal turned and ran to her door.

"Mal!?" Ben followed her, hoping to catch her before she slammed the door; but he missed her. The door was in his face (and he heard her lock the door). "Mal? Open the door please?"

 _"I'm okay. Really."_ Mal said.

"Open the door, pretty please?" Ben asked her.

 _"Good night."_ Mal said.

* * *

But what Ben didn't know was that he was speaking to a magical hologram that Mal made. Mal was sobbing in her bed, covers above her head to sound out her cries.

Ben eventually left.

Mal came out from the covers and just blankly gazed at the ceiling.


	16. Advise

Ben woke up the following morning, early as possible, and got ready quickly. He then hurried down to Mal's room and knocked on it. "Mal?" He opened the door and peaked inside.

The room was empty.

Ben stepped in further and looked around. "Mal?"

He left her room and walked into Penelope's room next door. "Mal?" He stepped in, finding it empty. "Mal?" He called in. Nothing. "Penelope?"

Both rooms were empty.

"Where are they?"

* * *

Mal had woken up around four in the morning and got ready for the day; dressing in her purple jeans and black tank top with her black converse. She scooped up Penelope and her doll, holding her in her arms resting and glad that the girl didn't wake up. Mal opened the usual portal and stepped into it.

Mal came out on the other side in her old living room in Halloweentown about five minutes later. Mal looked down and saw that Penelope was still passed out. Mal carried her upstairs and tucked Penelope in her bed, then turned the lights off and closed the door.

Mal went into her own room and sat there for the rest of the morning. She thought deeply about everything that had happened in the last several hours. She wanted to tell Ben, but how? And how would he react to it all? Pissed off as hell no doubt, but what if he blamed her? What if he blamed her for not bringing him along that night to 'Save Doug' as she had originally thought she was going to do. She didn't think she had enough room in her heart to deal with being blamed by the one person who told her that she was good and not evil like her mother.

* * *

In Auradon, Ben searched high and low for Mal and Penelope. The nearest thing he found was their cat, Shadow, who was eating a bowl of strawberries (Yes, this cat liked human food for some reason).

"Shadow, you haven't seen Mal or Penelope at all today, have you?" Ben questioned the feline.

"Meow," Shadow responded and rubbed herself against Ben's hand, wanting a rub from him.

"Thanks girl," Ben sighed as he rubbed her head and heard her purring in happiness. "I just wanted to ask Mal why she was upset."

"Meow."

"Well if I found Penelope, I would find Mal soon after that."

Ben searched all over the castle twice and then at Auradon Prep, knowing that Mal frequently went there to help the art students with coming up with projects. She wasn't there either. He called all their friends and had the same response from each of them: Nope, haven't seen either of them all day.

Ben had to work on a couple of kingly duties for the next several hours. Most of his thoughts were just on wondering where his purplettes were hiding out. He called her a couple of times but had no respond from Mal.

* * *

Hours later Ben took a walk in the woods hoping that he could find them near the Enchanted Lake.

Along the way, Ben heard music. He ran in that direction where the voices sang and prayed that that Mal was there.

No, it wasn't Mal or Penelope near by. It was a family of trolls having a party and singing together. His focus turned to a family of five; A woman with auburn hair and her pre-teenage daughter with auburn hair, an auburn haired teenage boy, a man with blond hair and a little blonde girl around Penelope's age. Ben recognized the man and the woman; Kristoff and Anna. So he assumed the children were their son Anderson and their daughters, Adeline and Kristina.

"Kristoff's family must be visiting then," Ben muttered to himself. The song was pretty catchy, a nice and fun tune, so Ben decided to take a break and listen. Although his mind still wondered where Mal was all day.

The trolls continued their song. Ben couldn't help but laugh as the family members continued pointing at and embarrassing Kristoff in the process as usual with their wacky family tactics.

The song ended and the family continued to celebrate all together. Ben watched the clan together having fun and being happy with one another. It's not that he envied them so much because he and his family were the same, but felt like Mal wasn't always has happy as he knew that she was or could be.

He wasn't alone for too long as he was given attention by one of the trolls had popped up next to him. "King Ben?" She asked.

"Oh, hello," Ben greeted the nice female troll.

"Bulda." She smiled. "What brings you out here with the family?"

"Oh I was just talking a stroll in the woods and heard you all singing." Ben said. His tone was depressed and Bulda noticed.

"What's got you down?"

"I was looking for someone and I can't find her."

"Ah, that sweet girl I'm always hearing about." Bulda smiled. "Kristina speaks of her often."

"Kristina knows Mal?" Ben asked perplexed.

"No, the other sweet girl with violet hair. Kristina use to see her at the park all the time, but hasn't seen the sweet girl in quit a while."

"Oh I'm not looking for Penelope exactly, but if I see her than I'm assuming Mal is close by." Ben explained. "Seen the violet hair girls anywhere?"

"Nope."

"Darn. I need to find Mal. I have to talk to her."

"'Bout what?"

"Last night."

"What happened?"

"She was fine most of the night and then near the end of the night, she began upset or angry about something and she lashed out on one of my good friends, Gasper. She pushed into into a table. She's also seemed to be stressed lately and I don't know why she is stressed or what is causing her to stress." He released a large sigh.

"She'll come around to it, King Ben," Bulda said with an honest smile on her face. "You love her and she loves you and love is a powerful force that powerful and strange."

"I just wished she would talk with me more, sort like she use to do. Now she won't tell me anything that bothers her at all. Like, we were on a date one night and after kissing her lips, she yelled at me to get off her, like I was a stranger, and she won't tell me what she was thinking. This is her second time running away because she was upset about something. I don't want her to feel like she has to run away when she is feeling like that.."

"She yelled like you were a stranger after you kissed her, huh?" Bulda phrased Ben's comments. "Sounds like something happened to her."

"But she won't tell me!" Ben exclaimed. "I wish she would change back to my old Mal and tell me."

"That's impossible Ben." Bulda told him.

"But it's possible to change, right? She and her friends, Carlos and Jay and Evie, and some other children from the isle when they all came to live in Auradon, they all changed from evil to good."

"That's possible too." Bulda said. "People can and can't change."

"I'm lost."

Bulda smiled at him. "We're not sayin' you can change her, 'Cause people don't really change. We're only saying that love's a force, that's powerful and strange. People make bad choices if they're mad, or scared, or stressed. Throw a little love their way. And you'll bring out their best. True love brings out the best!"

Ben listened to her words carefully. "Love?"

"Love!" Bulda smiled.

"So... keep loving Mal, even though she is scared or stressed or mad, and love will do it's thing to heal?"

"Pretty much. Love can do wonderful things. Just look at Kristoff and Princess Anna," She looked in their direction.

Ben turned to the two adults and smiled. Anderson and Anna were throwing a tennis ball back and forth while Adeline and Kristina were hungover Kristoff's shoulder and he spun around in a circle, making the girls laugh.

"I do love that." Ben smiled.

From that moment forward, Ben promised that was just going to keep loving Mal in every possible way that he could. Maybe one day, not too far in the future, Mal would let her walls back down and open up to him.

* * *

 **L** **ONG LIVE LOVE!**


	17. Freak

Mal returned to Auradon the next day. She would tell Ben the story of the night and finally be free from some of the pain it's given her over the years. Stupidly not all the pain would go away, but at least a good portion of it would be gone.

Mal walked towards the castle with Penelope skipping along next to her. Mal spotted Jay on the other side of the grass walking the opposite direction of her. "Jay!" She yelled.

Jay turned at the call of his name and saw Mal. "Hey! Runaway and cutie!"

"Where are you going?" Mal asked as she walked towards him.

"The park. I'm hanging out with Audrey for a bit at the park and then we're heading to that little league game to watch the kids play softball."

Mal had an idea and hoped Jay wouldn't mind the idea. "Can I leave Penelope with you guys for a while? I sort of need to talk to Ben, something important, and it'd be easier if I didn't have to talk to him and keep her entertained."

"Hell yeah you can! Audrey's been wanting to brush her hair for a while anyways." Jay smiled.

"Great," Mal said. She looked at Penelope, got down to her level, and said, "Hey, your gonna go hang out with Uncle Jay for a while."

"Okay."

"Here's your snack and water bottle." Mal told her and then brushed back a piece of her hair that was loose from the ponytail. "Be good, okay Nelly?"

"Okay."

* * *

After thanking Jay again and watching them both walk off, Mal turned back to walk into the castle. She walked into the courtyard first, hoping to find him, only to find it empty with a few decorations from the recent celebration still up. She saw the table that was broken in half that she pushed Gasper into and rolled her eyes. "Stupid Gasper." She said.

"Stupid Gasper what?"

Mal turned and saw the devil himself. "Oh perfect, speak of the devil."

"De Vil? As in Cruella or Carlos?"

"You stupid." Mal told him.

Gasper smirked at the purplette and eyeballed her up and down like she was a popsicle stick one just wanted to lick up and down, wearing blue ripped jean shorts and a purple tank top that covered most of her torso (a tiny bit of her frail skin still show between the bottom of the tank top and the top of the shorts), purple converse and her medium length hair tied up into a ponytail. "Your sexy."

"Pig." Mal told him.

"Look, I just wanna say I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry." Gasper said.

"You're...sorry?" She asked. What did he need to be sorry for?

"For messing up things."

Was he serious? Gasper was being _serious!?_ Mal found it hard to believe, but his face was a puppy expression and his eyes looked honest. "Well, yeah asshole, you messed a ton of shit up."

"I know." He said. "I should have been there to help raise my daughter."

 _OH! THAT STUPID DICK!_ Mal scowled at him. "She's _my_ daughter!"

"Takes two to tango."

"We never tangoed you brainless swine. You _raped_ me!" She sneered. "You messed up my whole life. The only good that came out of it was having _my_ daughter."

"See, I do good."

"Don't give yourself too much credit, you pathetic little swine." Mal pointed the finger at him. "I'm going to tell Ben what the hell happened to me that night and the second he learns it was _you_ that did that to me, you are going to wish your ass that Ben doesn't send you the isle."

"Aww, you don't want Penelope's daddy to go the isle of the lost. You are so nice."

"I want Ben to burn your ass in a a volcano!" Mal screamed. "After he shreds you to bits and pieces!"

"So your gonna tell Benny boo that _you_ decided to go alone to the cabin and not invite him, the guy who is _best friends_ with Doug?"

"Yeah!"

"Remember that before it was me, you still believed it was Doug, so it kind of sucks that you wouldn't invite Benny Boo's best bud to come save him from the cabin freak show."

"I—I uh, I just..." Mal came to a stop at her words. _That makes a bit of sense...no, don't let Gasper tell you what's wrong and right!_ "He'll forgive me."

"But you got knocked up and can't be knocked up with a royal kid." Gasper said. "He's gonna break up with you soon enough."

"Shut up! No he won't!"

"Penelope has my blood."

"She has none of your rotten blood." Mal said. Gasper laughed. "What!?"

"My rotten blood? You mean, your rotten blood? You are Maleficent's daughter, Maleficent."

Mal's anger began to rise. "I. Am. Not. My. _MOTHER!_ " She said through her teeth, each word punctuated for him to understand clearly. "How dare you say that!"

"Well it's true. Anyways, I've got to go. I just wanted to say 'hi' and that I'm sorry for messing up your life by not being there to raise Penelope with you and that I'm going out of Auradon for a few months. I'm going on a cruise with my mom and aunts with their boyfriends and then visiting some countries with them for a while."

"Like I care?"

"I'll bring back some gifts. Something for Penelope, from her daddy, and for my daughter's mommy."

"Just off the edge of the universe and you'll make me happier than Doug's uncle."

"Funny." Gasper said. His eyes darted to the side. "Oh, hey Ben."

"Ben?" Mal turned around quickly, but nobody was there. "He's—" Mal turned back to Gasper.

Gasper locked lips with Mal, cupping her face and forcibly keeping the kiss in place. Mal tried to push him off, but had no strength. _Get this Romeo away from me, a hundred miles down the street!_ Mal pushed him off with the use of magic (though he never went down a hundred miles), then Mal's green eyes glowed. She twisted his arm, hearing a loud 'POP' and Gasper shriek. "Don't you EVER do that to me again!" She pushed him to the ground.

"You are such a freak!" Gasper shouted and then ran away.

Mal watched him run. Her body was tense, her anger was high in frustration and stress and all she wanted to do was murder that bastard. But she couldn't. She wasn't her mother at all.

Mal ran into the castle and ran until she found her room. She slammed the door behind her and ran to her night stand and dug around a bit before pulling out her two bottles of pills for her anxiety and mild-depression. Her directions were to take one pill from each bottle, but Mal felt like she needed more than one. She took two of each, drank water and laid on her bed sobbing into a pillow.

* * *

At the park Penelope played with Jay and Audrey for a while before the two of them went off to the little league game for an hour of volunteering. Penelope kept to herself after that by playing around at the water pool table. She looked up and around every once in a while, keeping an eye out for Geraldine and Sonya. Nothing yet.

Penelope went back to playing with the water, doing some fun tricks with her water powers, when she felt someone push her head under the water. Penelope squirmed around in a panic for a a few moments before she came back up. She whipped her head around and saw Geraldine. No Sonya, just Geraldine. "Dragon freak, Dragon freak, go back home to your slimy creek!"

"I'm not a dragon!" Penelope cried. "Why you keep picking on me!?"

"Because nobody likes dragons 'cept for that dragon Mulan is friends with!" Geraldine told her. Dragon freak, Dragon freak, go back home to your slimy creek! Dragon freak, Dragon freak, go back home to your slimy creek! Dragon freak, Dragon freak, go back home to your slimy creek!"

Penelope sobbed continuously as Geraldine chanted the words to her. Penelope's emotions were running high and low in anger and sadness. "I'm no dragon!" She shouted at Geraldine, who only spoke louder with her chanting. ("Dragon freak, Dragon freak, go back home to your slimy creek!"). What was worse? Some of the other children nearby Penelope and Geraldine, minus a particular blonde girl who sat next to her dog and watched the whole ordeal, came over. They joined her in the chant (some because they were friends, others because it was a silly song to them).

"Dragon freak, Dragon freak, go back home to your slimy creek! Dragon freak, Dragon freak, go back home to your slimy creek! Dragon freak, Dragon freak, go back home to your slimy creek!" All the children sang loudly. "Dragon freak, Dragon freak, go back home to your slimy creek!"

Penelope was becoming more and more aggravated and provoked with the teasing. There were too many kids to block out from the chanting. Penelope lost total control of her temper.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She screamed out louder than she's ever done before. The others nearby her covered their ears. As Penelope continued to scream, the bright and blue sky became dark with angry, dark black clouds. A rainstorm was blowing—heavy rain falling from the dark clouds, blowing in every direction as possible—thunder and lightening clapping and zapping in the skylights. All the children ran away screaming and crying, including Geraldine, as Penelope continued to scream/cry loudly.

Jay and Audrey ran back to the park to find Penelope and get her and themselves out of this sudden storm, only to discover that Penelope _was_ the storm. The two of them hurried over to her, but Penelope didn't see them and just kept crying.

"Penelope!" Jay said loudly. "It's okay!"

"I. WANT. MOMMY!" Penelope shouted, crying louder (the rain fell faster).

"We'll get mommy!" Audrey shouted, trying to calm her too. "I have a cupcake."

Penelope heard the words 'mommy' and 'cupcake' and she relaxed slowly, the storm subsiding with her tears. "Mommy?"

"Yes, we'll go back to mommy."

The little girl sniffed. "I wanna go home."

"Alright, let's head home." Jay scooped up Penelope.

* * *

The trio began leaving the park. Penelope, resting on Jay's shoulders, looked at all the little kids and parents who were soaked head to toe from the storm. She lifted up a finger and aimed at everyone. "Water up." She whispered.

Water evaporated from all the parents and the girl with the blonde hair, but all the teasing children were still soaked. Penelope smiled.

* * *

 **Poor Mal and Penelope :(**

* * *

 **Descendants** **2 updates I read!**

 **So I read that Ursula's daughter, Uma, is going to be in D2 (China Anne M** **cClain will play her).**

 **Soon, we will know who is playing Captin Hook's child and *gasps* Gaston's son!**

 **I'm so excited.**

 **P.S: Wicked World is back on tonight! :)**


	18. Hate

Ben walked inside of the castle, soaked head to toe from the very wild and strange hurricane that Auradon just experienced. The last time a hurricane lasted that short five minutes was several years ago during the middle of a Thanksgiving celebration. But that one also included hail the size of baseballs crashing into the windows.

Just as Ben finished drying up with a towel handed to him, the double doors opened again and the park trio came walking side. "Hey Ben," Jay said, placing Penelope on the ground.

"Hey. Crazy weather we're having." Ben laughed.

"Oh yeah, a _little_ bit of a storm." Audrey told him with her brown eyes darting between Ben and Penelope.

Ben noticed this and had no idea what Audrey was trying to tell him. He then noticed that Penelope and crossed armed with a medium shape dark cloud currently forming above her head with rain pouring over her head. She looked angry too.

"You've seen Mal?" Jay asked. "Penelope here got upset at the park and wanted Mal."

 _Oh...did she make this hurricane? Mal said it happened once before years ago when Penelope didn't want to take a nap._

"No, I just got back myself." Ben answered just as Audrey's phone pinged.

"Jay, we have to go back to the little league field and help with clean up." She said.

"Aww damn it! They're gonna ask me about what happened, I just know it!" Jay whined. "What am I suppose to say?"

"Figure it out." Audrey explained.

"Fine." He said. "Later Ben, bye P." He said giving her a hug.

* * *

After the two of them left Ben turned to Penelope and said, "Are you upset, Penelope?"

She didn't answer him.

"Wanna look for mommy?" He held out his hand for her to take. Penelope slowly took it and followed him.

They walked around for twenty minutes looking for Mal together, but no sight of her. Not her room or Penelope's room or the library or anything. But still had hundred of rooms to go. "Penelope, would mommy go to Halloweentown by any chance?" Ben asked the smaller girl.

Penelope shrugged. Still silent since she returned here to the castle.

Ben sighed. He stopped walking and turned to Penelope fully. "You're exactly like mommy and completely opposite of her."

Penelope looked up at him questionably.

"Mommy won't say what's troubling her for a long time and then when she does she doesn't hold anything back." Ben explained. "You're staying silent the whole time."

The little girl just glared at him, looking precisely like Mal when she glared too, except Mal's eyes would glow bright green and Penelope's violet eyes glowed a light lavender color. Ben was befuddle. Ben knew that the glowing eyes usually meant a challenge was occurring or the person was pissed the hell off. He assumed it was the latter of the two choices.

"What happened at the park?" Ben asked her again. Penelope stayed quiet. "Will you tell me, please?" Penelope, however, turned away from him. "Penelope?"

Penelope shook her head. "I wanna go home!" She shouted.

"You are home?" Ben told her, though unsure about what she meant.

"No. I wanna go home home!" She said again. "Back to Halloweentown!"

"Why?"

"I hate Auradon!" She shouted.

"You hate...Auradon?" Ben repeated.

"I hate Auradon!" Penelope shouted again. She ripped her hand out of Ben's hand. "I hate everyone in Auradon!" Now, she just meant Geraldine and most of the kids from the park today who teased her, not _everyone_ in Auradon. "I hate them! I hate them! I hate them!"

Ben knelt down so he was at Penelope's level. "No, you don't hate anyone."

"Yeah I do!"

"No," Ben told her again, firmly. "You don't _hate_ anyone. You're angry or upset with someone, but you don't hate them."

"Your mommy and daddy hate that Gaston guy and his gang of friends." Penelope stated.

"No, my mommy and daddy were angry at Gaston and his friends. They weren't nice to anyone, they tried to hurt people." The older boy explained to her.

"And if they did hurt people, then what?"

"Then they were still angry and upset with them. But never hate them." Ben said. Okay, truth was, his own dad didn't hate Gaston. He _loathed_ Gaston. He still loathed the guy to this day nearly thirty years later. But Ben did not want to give Penelope any idea that hate was a good thing to have. "You don't hate anyone."

"I wanna go home!" Penelope shouted, going back to the first thing. "I wanna go back to Halloweentown!"

Ben sighed. Those words killed him.


	19. Hallucinations or Dreams?

Mal returned later that night. She needed to fly around for a couple of hours to shake off her interaction with Gasper from earlier. Other than being caught in a rain storm for a couple of seconds, Mal had a great fly. Above higher than the clouds and not caring about too much else with each second that passed.

She happened to fly over her mother's old castle and stopped inside for a bit. Her mother told her about the rooms in her old castle so Mal knew where she was going. It felt so odd to be in this castle. "Funny. Technically, this is where I would of been born and raised if things were vast different." She said as she found the room where Audrey's father was chained up. "Very weird to be here."

* * *

She flew around for a couple of more hours before returning to the castle half past midnight. Mal sneaked back into the castle from a window and tip toed around the servants to get to where the bedrooms rested in the castle. She walked in and saw Penelope sleeping peacefully in her bed, tucked in firmly. Mal brushed a lock of Penelope's hair behind her ear, kissed her cheek and then walked into her own room.

Mal stripped off her day clothes and threw on a t-shirt and sweatpants and jumped into her bed, rapidly falling asleep.

* * *

Mal woke up back in her mother's castle. There was a green fire lit in the center of the main room, the throne room, with Mal standing on one side of the room and Maleficent sittingo on her throne on the other side. "Mal," She called out. "It's been too long."

"Good. I hate your visits." Mal said.

"Why aren't you nice to mommy?"

"Because you're not my mother." Mal said darkly. "Stop bringing me to these visits."

Maleficent stared at Mal, her eyes glowed. "How can you be a good mother if you never visit your mother?"

"You are not my mother." Mal said again, walking over to Maleficent. "And I am a good mom, mother! I am a hundred times better than you have ever been to me! And because you will never learn to love the way love is, you are going to stay as a tiny little creature with no love except for the love of evil."

"Mother's learn from mothers, you little bastard." Maleficent stated in anger. "No, I'm sorry Mal."

"Sorry?"

"You are not the little bastard. That little one you have, Penelope, she is the bastard." Maleficent smirked.

"Take that back!" Mal yelled. "She is _my_ daughter!"

"She's nothing but worthless material to remind you that you did things before making your vows, a very important rule in royal families."

"She is _not_ worthless, mother!" Mal screamed.

"And does your prince know about her being?" Maleficent smirked.

"He does."

"The history of her being to the world?"

Mal remained quiet. "That doesn't matter."

"Yes it does."

"No, it doesn't. How I got pregnant with my child is none of your business. It's nobody's business, mother." Mal told her. "Now stop harassing me and visiting me."

"You'll never be part of his family you know. That wicked curse your stupid great-milliion times great grandmother placed on us women," Maleficent groaned. "I could of had a better child. One that actually didn't cry when she was younger."

"I don't have to marry or bare a child to be part of his family!" Mal yelled.

"He'll leave you alone and abanonded you like your own biological and short time live with us father both did." Maleficent explained.

"Shut up!" Mal yelled.

"Abanonded and alone with a bastard baby just like I was myself, except I was blessed with child to some degree. "

"Shut up!" Mal yelled, picking up a broken stone and throwing it at her mother's head. Mal's eyes glowed brightly.

Maleficent fet the hit and screamed, now glaring at Mal with more anger in her. "You little bastard!" Maleficent shouted. "You are a curse on me!"

"Well good! I was cursed to have you as a rotten, cold heart, soulless creature!" Mal shouted.

Maleficent lifted up her septar and aimed it at the twenty-one year old girl. "How dare you disobey me _again!"_

* * *

Mal was tossing and turning around in her bed, making odd sounds and waving her arms wildly. "No, no, no, no!" She shouted loudly.

"Mal. Mal, wake up." A voice said to her firm yet concerned.

Mal sat up and screamed in horror, startling Ben off the bed. Mal's mind was still minorly back in her mother's castle and it took her a couple of moments to realize she was back in a safe room and not at her mother's old castle. She turned and found a pair of medium shade green eyes looking at her. "B-Ben?"

"Mal," Ben said softly and caressed her cheek. "It was a nightmare, it's not real."

"Mom." Mal said, still trying to gain focus.

"What about your mother/"

"She...she's following me." Mal said. "She's following me. In my head."

Ben looked at her, albit confused to her words. "Like visiting you in your dreams?"

"Yeah. She's done this before."

"That's impossible," Ben said. Mal shot a deadly glare at him. "I just mean that it's impossible for her to be able to do that."

"Oh really? Just how impossible is it for Maleficent to use magic and visit her kids mind?"

"Well I've sort of been worried about Maleficent doing that ever since coronation when she turned into a lizard. I just assumed she's just never wanted to bother with you, but after her last visit to you I went to Fairy Godmother and asked her if there was something we could do about that."

"And?" Mal asked, hoping that there was hope.

"After coronation, where Maleficent is kept; a dungon below ground that not even my parents know about, the guards placed Maleficent in there and then Fairy Godmother placed the exact same spell she used before on the isle." Ben explained. "Mal, Maleficent has no magic inside her cell. She can't use magic of any sorts to visit you."

Mal listened and took heart to what he said. If it wasn't her mother who was coming into her dreams and telling her everything she already knew, there was only one question.

Who was it?


	20. The Beach

Mal had trouble sleeping throughout the rest of the night. She was finally able to move from the bed after drawing her mother's castle and showered. When she left her shower and tied on her bathrobe, she left the bathroom and checked her phone for social updates. There, she found a message from Doug.

 _Hey, my plans for today were canceled and since Evie's out in the city for her summer internship today, I have the boys. Wanna get lunch with us, Penelope and you?_

Mal cringed. She wanted to go out for the day, but Ben (after he soothed her from her nightmare) told her of Penelope's meltdown at the park. Mal was upset about that. Why did Penelope get upset? How bad was it that she, Penelope, caused that hurricane yesterday? Maybe today would be okay if the boys would go to the beach today and not the park.

 _Could we go to the beach? Penelope had a break down at the park yesterday and I don't think she wants to go back there anytime soon for any reason. I can bring sandwiches!_

Five minutes later: _Yeah! Sounds like fun._

* * *

Two hours later Mal walked into Penelope's room and shook the girl gently to wake her. "Nelly?" Mal sang out sweetly. "Wake up." Penelope turned over as she opened her eyes. "Your a sleepy head this morning," Mal giggled. "Wanna go hang out with your cousins and Uncle Doug today?"

"Where?" Penelope yawned.

"The beach." Mal smiled. "It's going to be nice out all day."

"Okay." Penelope replied as she sat up. _Maybe no one be at the beach today. Everyone like the park._ "Mommy, where were you yesterday?"

"I had to take care of some things," Mal said. She picked up Penelope and sat the little girl on her lap. "Penelope, Uncle Jay and Aunt Audrey and Ben told me what happened at the park yesterday." That was true, Jay had messaged Mal about the incident (but Mal didn't get the message until this morning, hours after it was sent). Penelope suddenly digged her head into Mal's arm a bit. "What made you cry yesterday, honey?"

 _Don't snitch! Jessalynn told me about a girl who snitched on her and Frankie and theys both got in big trouble! Don't snitch!_ "I missed you." She said.

"That's all?" Mal asked. Penelope nodded. "Were any of the children mean to you?" Penelope shook her head. "Are you telling me the truth?"

"Yes mommy."

Mal was stuck. She felt like it was all a lie, but how could she get Penelope to tell her the truth? Then maybe she was telling the truth and was just super cranky about it. Mal sighed and said, "Okay. If you're sure about it."

"Can I go to bathroom now?"

"Sure," Mal said and put her down. Penelope skipped off to the bathroom and once she was inside, Mal fell backwards and put her hands over her face. "Parenting!" She moaned.

* * *

Several hours later Mal and Doug met up at Atlantica Beach with the kids, finding the beach sort of crowded. The boys and Penelope immediately ran to the water to swim out as far as they were allowed too while Mal and Doug sat on a blanket under the umbrella. Mal watched Penelope closely and saw, within minutes, her unknowingly creating a large wall of water every time she jumped up and down in the same spot in the water.

"Doug, were you at the park at all yesterday?" Mal asked.

"No, but I heard from Jay about the general of what happened. At least she saved me a shower." Doug smirked.

"Funny," Mal rolled her eyes. "I asked her what happened. She just said that she missed me."

"That caused that?"

"No, I think there's more." Mal said. She sighed. "Knowing love and kindness and stuff, I thought raising a child would be a lot easier than raising a child back on the isle."

"What was it like for you? I know Evie told me that her mother usually either starved or slapped her in the face."

"Yeah, her mom was the most kindness in evil ways compared to the other parents. My mother kick, punch and throw me around a lot." Mal told him. "I don't even know if this has been going on for a while or if yesterday it started."

"Keep an eye on her. If she's still not acting like herself than we'll figure out something." Doug said. "I may have minored in psychology but I'm no expert kid therapist so much."

"Minor in psychology?" Mal laughed.

"I know. It's cliché." Doug laughed.

* * *

Mal then had an idea in her mind. But how could she tell Doug without telling Doug? "Hey, can I ask for advise then? Strictly therapist business."

"Sure," Doug said up. "Strictly therapy business. What's up?"

"It's about me...friend, Melissa."

"Who's Melissa?"

"A friend from high school back in Halloweentown," Mal lied perfectly. "She's recently ran into a situation and asked me for advise because she trusts me."

"I'm all ears."

Mal took a huge breathe and began the story.

"So about nine years ago, Melissa was going out with this kid name Jim. They were friends for a couple of weeks and then began dating. So they had been dating for a month and during that time, Melissa ran into this other kid that she hadn't seen in _years._ His name is...Bobby, I believe. Bobby fell head over heels for Melissa right that second, so to say, and kept sending her love notes and shit. Melissa never responded to them so she figured that would be enough for Bobby to back the fuck off of her. So then comes three months after Melissa and Jim started to date and freaking Bobby is an asshole. Bobby tricked Melissa to meet her somewhere by pretending to be her friend Brenda in trouble and Melissa went to go save Brenda. Bobby then reveal it was him and the two of them began to argue. He pretty much declared his love for her, but she told him that it wasn't love. He just had some sort of infatuation with her or something. Am I speaking too fast?" She asked her friend.

"No, I've got that."

"So then fucking Bobby and sweet girl Melissa keep arguing and then fight and Melissa kicks his damn ass pretty good, as she told me. She then leaves and just as she is pretty much out the front door to leave the house, Bobby knocked her out cold." Mal continued. Her temper was rising as the memory was shared. She knew every detail too well and it pissed her off. But now, as she was ready to share the next part, her nerves shook up. "Uh, when Melissa, came to it...you know, woke up?" She stared him in the eyes. "Bobby was, uh..."

"Bobby was what?"

"...In her?" Mal said, trying to stay calm without sobbing. "He...was pinning her...hard...and I think...he had a knife next to her...she can't remember if there was a knife next to her neck or not...but he threaten her to keep quite...somehow he did that if there was no knife there."

Doug, who's eyes widen a bit when Mal said that, sort of figured what she was telling him. "Go on." He said calmly.

"So...yeah," Mal said. "Uh...she was sort of in shock for a few days, weeks I suppose. Then she found out she was pregnant with her child. Jackson. Jackson is, unfortunately, Bobby's child. Melissa was so freak out by it in so many ways that she was afraid to tell Jim about it. So she just sort of left him with no note and went to live with her friend, Ashley. Jim didn't know Ashley's address though and couldn't find either Ashley or Melissa, so they both seemed to fall off the Earth.

"So Melissa had Jackson and though she missed Jim and loathed how she became pregnant with Jackson, she loved being a mommy to her little man." Mal smiled. "Then things sort of got weird for her."

"How so?"

"Well, Melissa's mother died when she was a few months old, so her grandmother Betty took care of her. Melissa loved her grandmother, but Betty was tough as hell on Melissa. Betty died while Melissa was gone being pregnant and stuff, so through her dead spirit and stuff Betty learned of the pregnancy and haunted her by it. Telling Melissa that her son, Jackson, was an unloved bastard baby and that if Jim ever learned of Jackson, than he'd forever and eternally hate Melissa for the rest of her life and stuff."

"And the grandmother was like this _before_ Melissa met Jim again?" Doug asked.

"Uh, yeah, the grandmother did this before and after Melissa and Jim reunited." Mal explained. "So then Jim and Melissa reunited a few weeks ago and Jim has no idea who Jackson is yet. Melissa's got this feeling that Jim wants to be with her and she too with him, but is worried about his thoughts on Jackson being around. I mean, I have this...idea...that Jim would like to be, ya know, Melissa's first, you know? But obviously she isn't."

"Okay."

"And Betty is still haunting her ass on all of this. BUT! Turns out, Betty isn't freaking dead!"

"Betty is alive?"

"Yeah. She's living somewhere else with memory loss or something like that." Mal said. "So I guess what I'm asking is, to tell her, who the hell is haunting her head and should she tell Jim about Jackson and how Jackson came to be?"

Doug sat there in silence for a few moments taking it all in. "Well, I believe I have an idea on who's haunting Melissa."

"Who?"

"Herself."

"Excuse me?" Mal sneered. "She's haunting herself?"

"Yes. Her own mind is haunting her. Actually, it's not really haunting. It's more a message."

"A message?"

"Symbolism too. Melissa is worried about how Jim will feel about Melissa being a non-virgin and baring a child that is not his own. The grandmother, who sounds like she already had feared growing up as you put it, symbolizes Melissa's fear about telling Jim about Jackson."

"How can Melissa stop that?"

"It'll stop when Melissa tells Jim about everything." Doug told her. "I would suggest that she take some time to be friends with Jim again and then after some time, tell him everything."

"What is she is worried about certain stuff? Like not telling him she was going out since they share an apartment together."

"Slow and steady and when she feels confident, she should tell him. If Jim loves her the way she seems to love him, I'm positive that Jim wouldn't be mad at her and maybe even seeing Jackson as his own child."

"What if he blames Melissa for...the...ya know?"

"It's not her fault. That Bobby tricked her." Doug scooted closer to a tiny bit. "In rape cases, it's never the victims fault."

"She went out though."

"To save her friend. She did what was right not knowing the future. Bobby, in a way, took advantage of her kindness knowing that. Bobby is at fault, not Melissa."

Mal listened to his words. It all made perfect sense, some of which she knew was true, but she was still afraid to tell him. She smiled at Doug though. "Okay, I'll tell her. Thank."

"No charge," He laughed.

* * *

After lunch, Penelope took herself to some rocks where she thought shells would be. She looked around, finding nobody near by, Penelope spread the water apart so that it was easier to pick up the shells and sea glass in the water. She picked up a few she liked then placed the water back. She turned around and started walking back on the shore. She came to an abrupt stop when she nearly walked into someone.

"Sorry." She looked up, only to be shocked. In front of her was one of the kids from the park yesterday.

"I though Geraldine joking about you being a dragon." He said.

"I'm no dragon. I'm a fairy."

"I just see you use magic."

"So does Jane and her mommy."

"But they nice." He said. "You and your mommy look like Maleficent lady and she evil. Geraldine say you and your mommy are related to Maleficent."

"No, Maleficent a dragon. Mommy and I are faeries." Penelope said.

"Dragon freak!" The boy shouted, pushing Penelope into the water.

Penelope flopped back into the water, loosing her shells and sea glass. She looked up and saw the boy running away, towards a group of other kids.

Within seconds they were all pointing and laughing at her direction. Penelope sniffed a few times, trying to hold back tears.

* * *

Mal worked on a sandcastle after lunch. She added the third tower when Penelope came over. "Hey Nelly. What's up?"

"Down." She said with a pout.

"What's down?"

"My shells. I pick up pretty shells and fell and lost them in the water."

"Oh it's okay Nelly," Mal said and held Penelope's hand. "We'll pick up some more in a bit."

"Okay." Penelope said. "Where Uncle Doug?"

Before Mal could answer, she saw Doug walking back. Frustration on his face and each twin under an arm. "We'll be back in a little bit. The little warriors here thought it was fun to tackle and throw rocks at some kids."

"But Daddy! Those kids were being mean!" Dwight yelled. "We heard them call a girl a mean dragon!"

"Yeah! We over heard them call a girl a mean dragon!" Derek added.

"Who's the girl?" Mal asked.

"We don't know. We just heard them say there is a bad dragon on the beach and there are no such thing as bad dragons." Derek said.

"We do not hurt others those. You two know that," Doug said. "We'll be back in a bit."

* * *

Doug carried off the twins, leaving the mother and daughter duo along.

Both, individually, thinking they knew who the dragon girl was.

Individually, they thought of themselves and not the other.

 _I'm no dragon and neither is Mommy. Both of us are faeries_

 _At least they're calling me the dragon and not Nelly. I can deal with it._

* * *

 **Wow! Nearly 3,00 words for this chapter!**

 **What did you all think about Doug's advise for "Melissa" ?**

 **Poor Mal and Penelope, both thinking they were the one called dragon by the group of kids.**


	21. First Day of School

**I apologize for the major time jump.**

* * *

 **September 5, Tuesday.**

Mal stared at the large elementary school in both amazement and curiosity. The playground in the back of the school is where everyone entered. Most of the school children were on the large play structure, others on the swings or monkey bars and slides and some playing on the various hopscotches drawn up. Evie had given Mal a tour of the school she was assisting in during the school year ("I'm honestly so glad that after this school year when I graduate college I can go teach chemistry at the high school. I'm tired of children puking on me!)

"This school is way bigger than I ever imagined. Even on the tour, it seemed so small." Mal said aloud. "Weird."

"Is this school like the other one, mommy?" Penelope asked.

"Take out all the Halloween stuff and make the school bigger." Mal said. She sat down on her knee caps and smoothed out Penelope's purple flannel dress. "Are you ready for your first day?"

"Yeah." Penelope said, kicking a small rock with her black converse. "What time are you getting me?"

"I'll be out here when you get out ar three," Mal smiled. "Try to make at least one friend today."

"Boy or girl?"

"Either." Mal smiled. Last night Mal talked on the phone with Jay and Jay, being himself, had told Mal one thing. _"She makes friends with GIRLS, no boys!" "Jay, she will make friends with anyone she wants."_

"Uncle Jay say yesterday to be friends with girls only." The little girl said.

"Don't listen to him." Mal laughed.

"Uncle Carlos said same thing. And Uncle Doug."

"Don't listen to them either."

"And Chad say don't hang around the boy who has a lot of girlfriends."

"That's true."

"So who?"

"Be friends with anyone who's nice to you." Mal smiled. "And if you don't make a friend today than that's fine, it's still the start of the school year."

"Okay."

"Want me to walk you inside?"

Penelope looked at her mother and then turned her head. She spotted a group of kids, the same kids from the park. Almost all of them have ignored her since the rainstorm incident weeks ago. Geraldine still tormented her though, forcing Sonya to join her in teasing Penelope. The violet haired little girl turned to her mother and nodded.

Fifteen minutes later Mal and Penelope walked into the classroom. Most parents did so too and were just saying their goodbyes to their children. Penelope really wanted her mother to stay, but she knew that she couldn't.

"I'll see you after school." Mal said, hugging Penelope. "And remember, keep the magic low to almost nothing."

"Okay mommy." Penelope said.

Mal watched as Penelope took a random seat near the back of the room, only one other student sat there who was drawing on a piece of paper. Penelope did nothing. Mal stayed for another minute and walked out of the room, praying that Penelope's first day would turn out good.

* * *

Hours later around two thirty, Mal stood outside and waited the last half hour. The bell rang and five minutes later all the children came flying out of the doors and to their parents. It was easy to spot the violet haired girl who slowly walked out after a couple of minutes.

Penelope looked up and saw her mommy, grinning from ear to ear. She ran to her mommy's opened arms and jumped into them. "Mommy!"

"Hi Nelly," Mal greeted her with a kiss on her cheek. "How was school?"

"Fine." Penelope said.

"Did you make any friends?" Mal asked. Penelope shook her head. Mal's heart sank. "Okay, well, there's tomorrow." Mal smiled. She then noticed paint on Penelope's dress and ends of her hair. "Nelly, did you guys paint today?"

"Yeah."

"Did you wear an apron?"

"No."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"How did you get it on your hair?"

"I don't know. Flying paint brush I guess." Penelope laughed. "No magic."

"Where's your painting?"

"I gave it to teacher because she nice. Her name's Ms. K."

"Well, okay." Mal said and smiled. "Wanna play for a bit?"

"No. I wanna go home."

"You sure?" Mal asked. Penelope nodded. "Okay. Let's get going."

Penelope smiled and held her mommy's hand as they walked. She was happy that her mommy believed her. She did not want to tell her mommy that Geraldine purposely put paint on Penelope's dress and dipped Penelope's hair into a paint cup.

"How was your lunch?" Mal asked.

Nor did she want her mommy to know that Geraldine and three other girls and a boy stole her food, leaving her hungry. "Yummy."

"What did you do during recess?"

"Play in sandbox." Penelope said. That was true, after a boy pushed her in there after calling her a Dragon Freak.

She hoped tomorrow would be better.


	22. My Girl, His Purplette

**Welp. This is going to be an interesting chapter for you all. I'm so sorry that it's a long chapter, but it's interesting and, yes, you are all going to hate me for this.**

* * *

Friday morning, Mal woke up with a terrible cold and the twenty-four hour bug. She started throwing up at five in the morning and every ten minutes she threw up. She felt sweaty and miserable. She tried her best to shower and dress without vomiting, but she failed several times. She threw on a pair of black jeans, a purple sweater and tied her hair back in a bun and black boots.

She opened the door to her room just as Ben was about to knock on her door. "Oh, you are awake." Ben said.

"Yeah," Mal said.

"You're pale," Ben said as he studied her face. He placed his hand on her forehead and felt it. "You feel hot too."

"I'm fine. I keep throwing up every couple of minutes, but I'm okay." Mal said. Her head spun and she lost some of her balance. "Whoa." She said.

Ben caught her arm and brought her back to balance. "You're sick."

"No kidding."

"Go back to bed."

"No, I've got to go out."

"No you don't."

"Penelope's got school and then I was going to meet Carlos and Jane for—"

"No, you are going back to bed." Ben said. "King's orders." He smirked.

"Screw you." Mal laughed. "Ben, I'll be okay."

"Mal, go back to bed. I'll ask Evie if she can bring her to school."

"Evie is already there." Mal said, knowing it was already ten passed seven. "She gets to the school around six thirty to get the classroom ready. Doug brings the boys on his way to class, which is the opposite way. He'd have to leave their house, come here, go back past their house and to the school."

"Uh, okay..." Ben said, thinking for a moment. "Know what?"

"What?"

"I'll do it."

"Do what?"

"Drop her off." Ben said. "I'm going to be out most of the morning anyways with business. It's just dropping her off, right?"

"No. She likes when I watch her go into the building." Mal said. "When _I_ watch her go into the building."

"Come on Mal, it's not problem really." Ben added on. "I'll even pick her up when school's done. Around four."

"Three." Mal said.

"Shit...I can't get there until four..." Ben muttered. "No, never mind, I'll get her."

"No. I'll drop and pick—" Mal said and before she said another word, she vomited. She hunched over and tossed out the hot acid feeling of whatever was in her stomach onto both her shoes, Ben's shoes and the floor. Ben held her hair back and rubbed her back. After a couple of moments Mal stood straight up, once again her appearance looked terrible. "Ben?" She said, a little hazy.

"Yes?"

"I'll tell her to wait the extra hour. She'll be okay."

* * *

Penelope didn't mind the change of who brought her to the school. She still did not want to go to the school today. This entire week was just torture from the other students, lead by Geraldine, either during class time, snack and lunch, recess or nap time. During class, she'd have her pencils and markers taken from her. She had her snack and lunch stolen by other students (leaving her hungry for the rest of the day), recess she was ignored and never picked for games and pushed/kicked by other students and during nap time Geraldine would steal her blanket while another student stole her pillow, leaving Penelope on just a plain carpet with nothing comfortable.

Penelope sat alone during class today. They were doing arts and crafts with colored pencils, markers, scissors and magazines to cut out from. She didn't do much though. She knew it was a matter of time before arts and crafts were over and then came lunch, which meant Penelope was going to go hungry again for the fourth time this week. She then realized that next week would be five days of no food, then the week after that, and after that and so on. "I'm never gonna eat again." She mumbled to herself as she picked up a marker and scribbled on the paper.

Penelope felt someone pick up a large bundle of her hair and a second later heard the sound of scissors cutting next to her ear. She turned and saw Geraldine with scissors in one hand and Penelope's purple hair in her free hand. Geraldine smiled at the girl who's new haircut was half long and half short, then walked back to her seat after throwing the purple hair in front of Penelope.

Penelope didn't cry though. Upset, yes. But she shrugged and pointed to the side of her head where her hair was cut short. "Beware, forswear, replace the old with new hair." She said. A second later, her hair that was cut short was now back to it's original length. She caught a glimpse of Geraldine from the corner of her eye.

Geraldine was stunned, her mouth opened in shock.

Penelope turned back to her work. A few moments passed and the teacher left the room to get more magazines down the hallway. Geraldine stood up and walked to the teachers desk and grabbed a larger pair of scissors. She went back to Penelope's desk and stood behind the unsuspecting girl. She grabbed all of Penelope's hair pulling it tightly as Penelope 'ouched!' loudly and used the adult scissors to cut off Penelope's hair, leaving Penelope with a choppy, child version pixie cut.

"Look everyone! Dragon Freak looks like a freak!" Geraldine announced. All the students looked over and laughed.

Penelope blushed red in embarrassment, but she only said, "Beware, forswear, replace the old with new hair." A few seconds later Penelope's hair grew back to the amazement of the students. Penelope buried her face into her desk.

However, Geraldine cut her hair again; determined that her plan would work.

"Beware, forswear, replace the old with new hair."

A fourth time, Geraldine cut her hair.

"Beware, forswear, replace the old with new hair."

A fifth time, Geraldine cut off Penelope's hair.

Penelope rolled her eyes and sighed. A few moments later she said the words again. "Beware, forswear, replace the old with new braided hair." For the fifth time, her hair grew and automatically twisted itself into a braid.

"Penelope Faery!" A voice said.

All the students turned and saw their teacher, Mrs. K, standing there at the door.

"Yes?" Penelope asked.

"Are you using magic?"

Penelope looked between Geraldine, who had the scissors behind her. _Don't be a snich._ "Yes?"

"Magic is forbidden in Auradon."

"I know, but-but-but Geraldine was curious of I really had powers like my mommy does. I wanted to prove it to her."

"Is that your hair on your desk?"

Penelope looked down and saw all the hair Geraldine tossed on her desk each time. "Y-yes." She stuttered. "I cut off my own hair to prove I have magic. I grew my own hair back."

"Penelope, we do not cut off our own hair just to show we have magic." The teacher said. "You will have no recess and stay inside the classroom." Mrs. K said. The other students went 'ooohh!' after she said that. "Children!" She shouted.

"Okay." Penelope muttered. Mrs. K returned to her desk and looked bewildered.

"Scissors?" She asked herself, looking all over her desk.

Geraldine tossed the scissors in Penelope's hand and shouted. "Penelope hair them!"

Penelope quickly hid her own scissors under the table in the plastic bin where she had her school items just before Mrs. K looked up. "I lost mine and I didn't want to bother anyone else who was cutting with theirs."

"That's alright. Just ask next time." Mrs. K said.

Penelope stood up and handed back the scissors to Mrs. K at the desk and turned back to go back to her desk. She walked passed Geraldine, who's evil smirk was lingering at Penelope's face. Geraldine was pleased with herself, knowing that she had gotten "the Dragon Freak" in trouble twice.

* * *

Penelope went hungry for lunch for the fifth time. She usually sat alone in the cafeteria in a corner where she was invisible to all the teachers and students. She was happy to know that her Auntie Evie went back to the college for a few hours during this time, she was usually gone from ten until one, an hour past when Penelope had lunch.

Recess, Penelope sat inside the classroom helping Mrs. K organize the books on the shelves. During nap time Penelope laid on the mattress and glanced up at the dotted ceiling.

* * *

When school ended Penelope sat on a bench in the play area alone while the other children played as they waited to get picked up. She heard her stomach rumble and held her empty belly. "I'm hungry." She muttered to herself. Penelope saw a red ball go past her and a student walked over to her.

"Hey, if you get me that ball, I'll be your friend." He said.

"Okay." Penelope smiled. She jumped up and ran over to the bushes where the ball was. She turned back and threw him the ball. "Now we're friends?" She asked loudly for him to hear.

The boy walked over to her. "No." He said with a smile. His bright blue eyes stared at her. "I'm no friends with a Dragon Freak."

Penelope sighed as the boy walked away. "Nobody wanna be my friend."

"Need a friend?" A voice from behind a tree said.

Penelope looked over and saw a tall man. He was blond with a red blazer with a yellow shirt under it and dark blue jeans. She'd seen him once a long, long, long time ago. "Tall man?"

"Gasper." Gasper smiled.

"I haven't seen you in long time." The little girl said.

"Yeah, I was on a cruise with some family." He leaned down to her level. "What's up little girl?"

Penelope looked up. "The sky."

"Funny," Gasper said. "How's mommy?"

"Sick. She keep throwing up this morning, so Ben brought me and Ben picking me up." Penelope answered.

"Ben's a good guy."

"Yeah. He like my uncles." Penelope said. "He reminds me of my uncle Doug the mostesd."

"Why's that?"

Penelope shrugged. The way Ben treated her was similar to how Uncle Doug treated Dwight and Derek. "I don't know. He just reminds me of my Uncle Doug."

"Cool." Gasper said. "So, uh, has mommy ever mentioned anything about your daddy?"

The innocent little five year old girl said, "She said to me that Daddy doesn't care about me or her. She said that Daddy only cares about himself, himself, himself and that he's too busy sleeping over a new girls home every night."

 _"Christ Maleficent."_ Gasper muttered. "Well, I know your daddy and it's not true."

"What's Daddy's name?" Penelope asked.

"It's Gasp—"

 _"Penelope?"_ Ben's voice called out.

Penelope looked over and saw Ben, looking around for the little girl.

"I have to go now." Penelope said and turned around.

"Wait, uh, Penelope." Gasper said quickly.

Penelope turned back to him. "Yeah?"

"Don't tell mommy about me." Gasper told her. "Or anyone, but mommy mostly."

"Why?"

"She's uh, mad at me, for stealing something. She's gonna kick my butt for it." He said. He held out a pinkie. "Pinky promise?"

Penelope looked at his pinky then at him. "Pinky promise to be my secret friend?" She asked. At least she'd have a friend.

"As long as it's a secret, between just us." Gasper said.

 _"Penelope?"_ Ben called out again.

"Okay." She said and took her pinky with Gasper's. "Pinky promise then."

"Great." Gasper smiled.

Penelope then held her arms out and hugged Gasper. "I love you, new friend."

Gasper smiled and hugged her back, the same way a parent would hold a child in a hug. "I love you too." He said. Then in a soft, almost silent whisper he added, _"My girl."_

* * *

Ben was about to go check inside of the school to look for Penelope when he spotted the purplette walking towards him. "There you are, Penelope." Ben said. "I was looking for you."

"Sorry. I was talking to someone."

"A new friend?"

"Yeah." She said.

Ben smiled at the girl. Mal had mentioned how this whole week Penelope hadn't made any friend yet. "Is she nice?" He asked.

"He's a boy." Penelope said. "He's really nice."

"Oh...a boy," Ben was surprised. Usually at this age, girls were friends with girls and boys were friends with boys. Then again, he was friends with Lonnie at Penelope's age. "That's nice. Ready?" He held out his hand for her to grab.

Penelope took hold of his hand and began the walk home.

Halfway home Ben had thought of way to talk to Penelope about what had happened today. "So, school was good today?"

"Yeah." She said.

"That's good." Ben said. He felt a little awkward saying this to her. "Hey, Penelope?"

"Yes?"

"You know how in Auradon, magic is banned?"

"Yeah."

"That counts for school too." Ben said.

"Okay." She said.

Well, that went no where. Ben stopped walking, causing Penelope to stop when she felt the tension between the two of them. Ben sat on his knees to get at Penelope's eye level. "Penelope, your teacher mentioned what happened during art today." Penelope just stared at him. "She said that you cut your own hair?"

"Yeah." Penelope lied.

"And then used magic to grow it back?"

"Yeah."

"How come?"

"To show the other kids that I do have magic. They didn't believe me."

"And you had to cut your own hair to show them?" Ben questioned. "Out of all the magic, you used one that required you to cut off a lot of your own hair?"

Penelope's eyes grew a little wide, but she kept with her charade. "Yeah."

Ben, as much as it killed him to even think this, did not believe Penelope one bit. "Are the other kids bullying you, Penelope?" he asked her gently.

"No."

"Do you know what bullying is?"

"Yeah. People being really, really, really mean to other people." She answered.

"So, are the other kids bullying you?"

"No."

"You'd tell mommy, right? If you were. Or your teacher."

"Sure." Penelope said. Her tummy rumbled again. Ben heard that.

"Did you eat your lunch?"

"Yes. I'm just hungry again." Penelope said.

"Alright." Ben said. He watched as Penelope took the lead and followed her seconds after. "Hey, Penelope."

"Yeah?"

Ben once again scooted down to her level. Ben then held his arms out and embraced her into a hug.

"What this for?"

"Just...hugging." Ben said. To tell the honest truth, Ben had no idea why _exactly_ he hugged her. He just something jolt in his heart that told him to hug his purplette.

Penelope smiled and hugged him back. "Okay," She said simply. She did like hugging people.

* * *

 **Oh, damn Gasper. He nearly told Penelope the truth!**

 **Who doesn't like hugs?**


	23. A Birthday To Never Forget: Part 1

**A Birthday To Never Forget: Part I.**

Mal released the last curl pinned in her hair then took the brush and brushed out the curls to get that vintage Hollywood glam that Evie suggested she do. Mal checked her appearance and studied it. She had some bags under her eyes, but perfectly good reasons.

She hasn't slept since the day after her bug illness. Her nightmares became worse and more intense; remembering every single detail of the horrific night. From the moment her eyes opened to the moments Gasper left the creepy home.

Her lack of sleep made her more agitated and stressed to nearly everyone around her. The worse ones were when she became entirely upset or distressed with someone, she would use the anger of her assault as a reason to viciously attack the innocent person. She nearly broke Jay's neck one day, nearly stabbed Carlos with a knife she was holding to cut strawberries for a smoothie and bit Beast in the arm when he was helping her up after she fell. Her mind at the moment saw the blond idiot and went into full protection mode; biting the weak human.

Biting Beast and nearly murdering her two close friends were the final straws. She had to tell Ben everything. Even if Ben couldn't help her with anything, at least Ben would have an idea about why she is more violently active than ever before.

Mal stood up from the vanity mirror stool and walked over to where her black wedge ankle boots rested. "I hate parties." She said. Aurora and Phillip were holding their thirty second wedding anniversary and decided to make it a ball this year. It also happened to be Mal's birthday, which of course Ben remembered and promised to make it up to her.

 _"Make up what?"_

 _"A birthday celebration. This would be the first one I have with you since you've arrived to Auradon. We had just missed you birthday when you arrived."_

 _"Trust me, I'm use to not celebrating my birthday."_

Ben insisted though, along with every one of their friends. They had celebrated Jay's in August (while Mal was gone), Carlos in April (while Mal was gone) and Evie's in May (while Mal was gone)... "Damn, I missed everyone's first birthday in Auradon." She sighed. "Guess I should do this to make it up for missing their first Auradon birthday parties.

* * *

Mal walked out of her room and opened the door gently into Penelope's room. She saw the small girl sitting on a blanket on the floor holding a little tea party with her headless non-magical voodoo doll, Bertha. Mal faintly smiled at the sight. She was glad that Penelope seemed happy, but was upset when it came to Penelope at school.

Mal had asked if Penelope made any friends yet, but she hadn't. It's been almost two weeks now and still no friends. What also bothered Mal was a note that came home with Penelope recently. It was from the teacher, to Mal, about Penelope's schooling. Penelope kept herself isolate during class and hasn't participate much within the setting. She also noted that Penelope isolates herself during both recess and lunch and that during lunch, Penelope doesn't eat anything. The only reason that they just started to notice this was because they just noticed Penelope sitting alone during the lunch hour.

Mal knew for a fact that she made a lunch for Penelope every day of the school week. She asked where her lunch went and Penelope would reply. _"I'm not hungry."_

 _"You're always hungry after school. You were never like that before."_ Mal stated.

 _"But now I am."_ Penelope continued.

Mal didn't know what to do. She never had problems like these back in Halloweentown. For now, she was going to either give Penelope lunch money as a backup or make her a backup lunch and use some sort of spell to make sure that only Penelope's hand touched the food.

"Penelope, are you ready?"

Penelope looked up at her mommy and nodded. She wasn't ready for another party, but everyone in Auradon was going which meant there was nobody to watch her (Yes, even Sadie and Weston were going as well, as a personal invite from Audrey). Penelope stood up and took Bertha with her as she walked over to Mal.

"You look pretty mommy." Penelope said.

"Thank you." Mal said, brushing back a piece of Penelope's wavy hair lock. "You're very pretty too. You ready to go?"

"Can I bring Bertha with me, mommy?"

"Why? A lot of your school mates are going to be there."

"What if they not there?"

"I promise, they will be there." Mal smiled. Penelope still seemed a bit unsure. "Okay. You can bring Bertha if that will make you comfortable."

Penelope grinned. "Yay! Now I have a friend if my secret friend isn't there!"

"A secret friend?" Mal asked. Penelope never mentioned a secret friend. Who's ever heard of a secret friend? "Nelly, who's your secret friend."

"Oops. I pinky promise him I wouldn't say."

"Who is it?"

"He said his name was Gasper." Penelope answered.

Mal's jaw hit the floor. No..not...that Gasper, could it? "What does he look like?"

"He said he knew Ben mommy. He has short hair."

"What color is it? Dark like Uncle Jay?"

"No, yellow like Chad."

"What was he wearing?"

"I think it was a red jacket with a yellow shirt and jeans."

 _Fucking shit._ "Oh..." Mal said trying to act surprised. "Maybe he will be there. I won't tell him that you said anything."

"Okay." Penelope smiled.

* * *

No more than ten minutes later Mal and Penelope were in the carriage riding to Phillip and Aurora's castle. Mal notcied that Ben was listening in on a phone call (headphones connected to his phone), Belle was deep into a book and Beast was bouncing Penelope lightly on his lap, watching the little girl giggle in happiness.

In other words, nobody was paying attention.

"Beware, forswear, make Penelope forget Gastons' son Gasper, into thin air." She whispered and pointed to Penelope. Penelope stopped laughing for a few seconds as Beast continued to bounce her on his lap, then went back to giggling. "Hey, Nelly?"

"Yes mommy?"

"Who's Gasper?"

Penelope stared at her mommy, confused written on her little face. "I don't know. Who's Gasper?"

"Oh, never mind." Mal smiled.

* * *

 **Well, Mal's taken care of Penelope's memory of Gasper. Now let's just hope that the boy more evil than his father and Maleficent doesn't make an appearance tonight. Especially if Ben _and_ Beast are at the party.**


	24. A Birthday To Never Forget: Part II

**A Birthday To Never Forget: Part II.**

At the arrival of the ball, Ben's parents went inside first while Ben and Mal stood outside with Penelope. Ben held Mla's hand while her other hand held her daughter's hand. "Ben?" Mal turned to him. "Is this going to be like when Chad's grandfather held a ball for his son? You know, announce the one who is arriving?"

"Yes, just for royal family members and other high archs." He answered. "Though we tell them when we get inside, there is no specific order."

"Do they introduce children?"

"Usually they do, with their parents. I'm just an exception since I'm king." The dark green eyed boy said. "Your choice if you want Penelope to be introduced."

Mal thought for a few moments, just as other couples arrived. Mal wasn't in the family, but seeing as she was dating Ben than she probably most likely had to be introduced. But Penelope most likely did _not_ have to be introduced. "I think if I remember the castle correctly, I'll direct her to get down the stairs and meet her there."

"Okay." Ben smiled.

* * *

Inside Mal and Ben followed the others to the grand entrance. Before they reached the end and waited their turn to be introduced, Mal leveled down to Penelope's height and whispered closely to her. "Penelope, see that staircase next to the golden flower statue?" Penelope looked and nodded. "Go down there and wait by the stairs. I'll meet you there in a couple of minutes." Penelope nodded again and left for the staircase.

Mal stood next to Ben nervously. She was biting her lips hard and trying to remain focus on what was happening. But guess what memory popped into her head as she stepped up each stair step to the top?

Ben noticed this and was a bit concerned about her. He leaned in and whispered into her ear. "Are you going to be okay?"

She nodded, but still nervous. She clutched her right hand, forgetting that it was the one that was holding Ben's hand.

"You don't have to do this, Mal. You can skip on this part."

"No." She stated right away. "I-I'll be fine. I have to get use to this sooner or later. Plus it's just been a long time since I've done anything like this."

 _"Presenting King Benjamin of Auradon and his lady, Mal Faery."_ The announcer announced to the crowed. Ben, smiling, planted a chase kiss on Mal's cheek before the duo walked up together and stood at the top. They bowed/curtsied to the attendees of the ball as everyone cheered for the king and his date. After a few moments, Ben and Mal descended down the grand ball staircase. Mal saw out of the corner of her eyes Penelope, being held by Carlos, near the staircase.

Ben was crowded by several friends when they reached the last staircase. Ben looked towards Mal as they were forced to divide, but she smiled understandably at him. Ben wordlessly apologized before the friends chatted up a storm to him.

Mal walked to Carlos, who was now Penelope less. "Where's Penelope? I just saw her in your arms."

"She wanted a cup of fruit punch and both Jane and Audrey were going to the table, so she went with them." Carlos answered. "You look pretty."

"Thanks. So do you, you handsome De Vil," She winked.

"Geeze, that's an old one." Carlos laughed, fixing his bow tie. "Evie helped me with the suite since Jane showed her what she was going to wear for the ball."

"I honestly still can't believe we're in a ball. Tell us ten years ago that we'd be attending a ball and bad things would happen."

"More specifically," Jay walked up behind Mal. She was startled, but held back a scream. "Tell Mal ten years ago she'd be attending the ball of Aurora and Phillip."

"Mal would of murdered your sorry ass," Mal smirked.

"So, I heard from someone that my niece made a friend at school."

"From who?"

"My twin nephews." Jay smirked. "But they don't know if the friend is a boy or a girl. So, am I a happy uncle or do I need to keep a close eye on someone?"

Mal, remembering what Penelope said and the spell Mal casted, said, "Oh, they might of heard wrong or trying to help by making it sound like she made a friend. She, unfortunately, hasn't made a friend yet."

"Well, let's hope I'm a happy uncle soon." Jay laughed.

* * *

Over by the food table, Jane and Audrey were gossiping about some of the other ball attendees while Penelope stood between the two of them. She looked up and studied around. She saw a lot of children from her school, but she figured they would ignore her.

"Audrey," A woman spoke up as she stood close to the trio. "Your hair is so beautiful."

"Thank you. I finally learned how to french braid for the middle part," Audrey said with a smile. "Jane, this is my mothers friend; Jenna. Oh, and is this little Geraldine?"

Geraldine?

Penelope turned around and came face to face with her school bully. Geraldine had on a sparkly silver dress, her hair tied up in a bun with loose curls dangling to the side.

"Yes, it's Geraldine's first ball. We probably will be here for another three hours because of someone's bedtime." Jenna smiled.

Penelope stared directly at Geraldine, frowning, as she knew one thing for sure other than being at a huge party.

Geraldine was going to torment Penelope tonight.


	25. A Birthday To Never Forget: Part III

**A Birthday To Never Forget: Part III.**

An hour into the ball Mal was quietly enjoying herself and yet she wasn't. Every blond man and every blonde boy about her age that passed her, Mal worried it was _him_ and instantly froze in her steps and gawked in horror, only to discover it was not him and smiled for that.

Ben, however, had kept an eye on Mal all night. Remembering Boulda's words, Ben reassured Mal all night that he was here for her if she needed him. From either grasping her hand firmly or placing a kiss either on her cheek or forehead. Mal would wordlessly appreciate this, but Ben still felt in his heart that Mal was hiding something from him. He urged to know her secret.

Over by a small table for the children to sit around as their parents socialized with their friends Penelope sat at the end of the long, rectangular table with Bertha in her arms and keeping to herself. Usually she'd keep herself entertained by doing things with her regular powers and her water powers, but with a room with crowded she figured she would just keep to herself.

She felt something hit the side of her head. She looked and found a bread roll on the ground. She peered up and saw Geraldine smirking at her. Geraldine nodded at a few other children at the table and within a couple of seconds, Penelope was hit with several more bread rolls. She did not want to cause a scene, so she held it all in. But she knew she would lose it soon.

* * *

Mal and Evie were gossiping about a few things when Evie felt a tug at the bottom of her dress. She gazed down and saw her little Dwight. "Yes my little handsome?" She asked.

"Mama, I have to use potty." He said.

"Didn't daddy just take Derek a few minutes ago?" Evie asked him.

"Yeah."

"Why didn't you go with daddy and Derek a few minutes ago?" She asked.

"I no have to go few minutes ago. Now I has to go." He smiled.

Evie released a small but happy sigh. "Okay handsome," She held his hand. "I'll be back Mal."

"Take your time." Mal laughed. Once Evil and Dwight were gone, she turned to the kids table and saw Penelope sitting alone. Sighing she walked over.

"Hey Nelly," Mal squatted next to her. "How are you doing?"

"Fine." Penelope said in a low voice. "Mommy? Bertha wants to know when we're going home. She tired."

"In a few hours." Mal said. Penelope nodded slowly. "Hey, want to bring Jessalynn over for a play date next Saturday?"

Penelope smiled at the idea. "Yeah!" She cheered.

"Alright." Mal smiled at her little girl. "I'll call her mommy in a couple of days."

* * *

Mal stuck around for a little bit longer with Penelope before she walked off to get some food for herself. She managed to dodge several ball attendees before bumping into someone harshly and they dropped something of theirs. "Sorry!" She said rapidly and ducked down to pick up the fallen item. A wallet.

"It's fine Maleficent," The voice replied.

Mal shot up, dropping the wallet again, and stared dead eye into Gasper's eyes. " _Damn it_." She muttered.

"Nice party." He said.

"Shouldn't you be on a cruise ship having screwing around with different women?"

"Trip ended early because my aunt got sea sick, turns out she's pregnant." He smiled. "Mom and the other sister are thrilled."

"Who's your mom?"

He gawked at her. "Isn't is obvious?"

Mal rolled her eyes. "Yeah, because their identical triplets, I can totally see the difference, you piece of shit."

"Hey, don't be mean. Your good now, remember?"

"I hate you." Mal said.

"Penelope doesn't, she likes me."

"She doesn't know you."

"She does at the school. I met her one day."

"I HATE YOU!" Mal shouted, glad the music sounded her off.

"Well I like you a lot. I'm waiting to be a family with you and her. At least _I_ can understand your one child curse."

"Ben does too."

"King Ben who needs an heir with royal blood?"

"I'm leaving." Mal brushed past him.

Gasper smiled and called back to her. "You know what we have is special, Mal!"

Mal growled at him in anger, trying to not kill the son of a bitch with so many witnesses around them.

* * *

 **Geeze Gasper, stop being a Jack in the box and popping up every where!**


	26. A Birthday To Never Forget: IV

**Oh goodness, an update?**

* * *

 **A Birthday To Never Forget: IV.**

Ben was speaking with his parents but kept eyeballing Mal from the corner of his eyes and catching quick glimpses at her. It was hard for him to not stare lovingly at the most beautiful girl in the whole magical universe. He could just look at Mal all day, neither of them say a single word to the other, and still be in love as they were today.

He noticed that Mal, alone, was frowning as she stared off into space for a good five minutes. Just as he was about to excuse himself from his parents conversation, Mal shook her head and continued walking in the opposite direction. Mal was still herself greatly enough, but these past couple of...days or weeks or even months, Mal would have an off day or two. Like the past recent events with nearly killing her two best friends and biting Ben's father. That was not Mal at all. He had no idea what was causing her to behave like so.

But remembering Bulda's word ( _"People make bad choices if they're mad or scared or stressed. But throw a little love their way.")_ Ben showed Mal each and every day his love for her. He knew that she knew that he loved her, thus he didn't need to show it all the time. But he loved showing how much he loved her. He loved Mal. He loved Mal _and_ Penelope. They were both full of spunk, keeping life interesting in their own unique ways.

Mal had a flashback and she was frozen in the memory for a few minutes before she came back to life and walked away. She needed to try and eat something. She realized she hadn't eaten yet and she was already thin from lack of eating food or being able to keep food digested inside of her. She started to walk to the buffet table when she saw a certain blond, speaking to Princess Ruby, and Mal turned the other way to the girls bathroom.

She went into the furthest stall of the bathroom and locked the door with the latch. She put the seat cover down and sat on it, sobbing into her hands. She had no idea why she was sobbing exactly and then she knew why too. These mixed emotions inside of her plus the memory being more vivid than ever and it killed her. She felt her body shake with worry and fright and trying to keep her sobs from echoing in the bathroom.

* * *

Penelope was standing in a dark corner of the ballroom hiding from the other children nearby. She had had enough of their bullying for the night. She did not want to be here any longer, but knew that her mommy was still here. Somewhere.

She heard someone walking up behind her and turned to find some boy with dark brown hair wearing light blue jeans and a black and white stripe shirt with red converse. She didn't actually know him, but he was friends with Derek and Dwight. He looked at her curiously and she back at him, holding Bertha closer to her chest.

"Are you that Persephone girl from school?" He asked her.

Penelope smiled. Her name was not even remotely close to Persephone and yet she was occasionally mistaken with that name. Such as birthday cakes with writing on them. "No, my name is Penelope."

"Oh..." The boy said. Then it hit him, he knew who she was now. "Yeah, I know you you are."

Penelope grinned.

"Yeah, your Dragon Freak." He said. "Dragon Freak who lives in a slimy creek."

Penelope's eyes widen and her heart sank. No, not again.

"Dragon Freak, Dragon Freak, go back home to your slimy creek." The boy sang. Now to be completely honest, this boy had no idea what he was saying. He didn't know that he was hurting Penelope's feelings. He was just singing a song that his cousin, Geraldine, had told him. "Bye!" He said merrily and then skipped away.

Penelope felt the tears coming. Screw it. She was going back to the castle, picking up her things and then running away to go live with Jessalynn! At least her friends in Halloweentown don't make fun of her for having magic and they don't call her a dragon, they know she is a fairy. But most importantly they do not call her a freak or make her feel like a freak either!

Penelope found the staircase she had walked down earlier and ran up them, hoping she could remember the way back to the castle.

* * *

Ben was searching for Mal for the past ten minutes. He wanted to dance with her again. He saw her coming out of a corner with her makeup taken off. He walked up to her with a smile. "Hi beautiful," He said.

"I was sweaty and it was coming off." Mal defended herself.

"It's okay. You're still beautiful," Ben said. He held out his hand to her. "May I have this dance?" He asked with a slight bow to her.

"Of course!" Mal laughed and placed her right hand into Ben's hand, just as slow music began. Ben pulled Mal close to him and kept his right hand on her's. His free hand was placed on the small of her back and Mal's free hand was on his left shoulder. They danced as close as they could together while the song continued and Mal realized it was _Tale as old as time,_ the song his parents danced to years ago. She smiled and leaned in to rest her head on his shoulder.

She never wanted this moment to end.


	27. Pinky Promise

**Hey princes and princesses! Sorry this is a short chapter and there is not Bal or whomever in it. But you're going to like this.**

* * *

 **Pinky Promises.**

Penelope had managed to sneak past the guards that kept watch of the castle and out the front door of the castle. She felt the night wind blow on her skin and felt goosebumps rise up as she shivered. The walk back to the castle couldn't be too long, right? Penelope gazed over and saw that the front gates were closed. She knew that whomever was there would just go get her mommy.

Penelope walked the perimeter of the castle until she found herself near a large water fountain surrounded by gray cobbler stones and built with light gray cement of some sorts. She had passed this fountain at least four times already, which meant she was lost. Penelope shivered some more, rubbing her tiny hands on her tiny arms.

"From Phillip and Aurora's home depart we now—"

"Hey!" A voice yelled.

Penelope jumped and turned back with a frighten expression written on her face, her eyes bulging out. She saw it was only a blonde girl in a dark turquoise dress with sheer sleeves and dark green strap ballet flats. As the blonde skipped forward, Penelope saw it was the girl from the park. Still afraid that this Auradonian girl might be like the others, Penelope kept silent.

The blonde came up to Penelope and waved with her left hand while her right hand held a doll with blonde hair and a high low top with brown pants and heels. "Hi. I'm Kristina." She smiled. Penelope said nothing. "What your name?" But Penelope said nothing.

Kristina studied her up and down and said, "I remember you from the park." She said sweetly. "And the beach one day."

The beach? She was at the beach too?

"Those kids were super mean to you. Me and these two boys started a fight with them. The boys daddy came and picked them. They try to tell their daddy I started it, which I did, and he no believe them. He just say 'Derek Robert Dwarf and Dwight Arthur Dwarf, you both are in big trouble!' to them."

Penelope smiled softly as she remembered that day. But then remembered why they were in trouble and the reason for the fight and frowned. She turned and began to walk away from Kristina.

"Don't go!"

Penelope turned around to Kristina. Kristina looked upset.

"Please don't go." She said. "I like you."

"I'm a Dragon freak." Penelope said with a cracked voice.

"No your not. You said that you and your mommy are both fairy like Fairy Godmother and her daughter Jane." Kristina smiled. "My daddy is half troll."

Penelope felt herself lift an eyebrow. "Half troll?"

"Yeah. My daddy is half troll, but he say that Anderson and Adeline and I are not half troll. I think it 'coz daddy was adopted by grandma." She explained. "But I see a dragon and his name is Mushu."

"Everyone call me a dragon freak. They say that mommy's mommy is a dragon because she try to hurt people." Penelope cried. "I wanna go home to Halloweentown. Nobody mean to me there. I no have friends here!"

The purplette girl sobbed harder, holding her Bertha doll close to her, and sat on the ground with a large 'thump' to the sound. She cried onto her headless voodoo doll's dress and shook almost violently. She didn't make a huge hurricane like that one before, but there was a storm above her head that poured over her.

A few seconds after she began to sob, she felt something very warm embrace her. It was arms. Kristina's arms to be exact; hugging Penelope tightly. Penelope's tears subsided a bit but the little storm above her head was still ongoing. "Huh?"

Kristina, still hugging her, said to Penelope, "I'll be your friend if you'll be mine."

Penelope was not sure if this girl meant it. "Promise?"

Kristina pulled out of the hug and held out her pinky. "Pinky promise."

Penelope looked at Kristina's finger. A pinky promise was to never be broken, ever. It was a unwritten rule of friendship.

Penelope, as the storm above the two soaking girls subsided, hook her pinky onto Kristian's pinky. "Pinky promise." She smiled.


	28. You Speak, I Scream

Mal was glad the ball was nearly over. She loved everything and everyone at the ball, except one person. Ben never left her side for most of the night and although at one point Gasper had walked up to speak with Ben about guy things (Mal clutching onto Ben's wrist and playing it off as that she's excited that the ball is wonderful) when in reality Mal just wanted to shred Gasper apart, she had a pretty good night.

Mal glanced over and spotted the few children left at the ball. Dwight and Derek, a small boy with brown hair in jeans, a few girls and Penelope with Kristina. Sven had found them outside playing together and brought them to Anna, who brought the girls back inside. They were almost inseparable after that.

Mal poked at her piece of cake with her fork keeping to herself while Carlos and Jay argued over some movie plot they had just seen the other day. Mal had only taken a few bites when she felt someone take the seat next to her. A blond. She whipped her head, only to see it was Chad and not Gasper.

"Relax. Just hanging out now." Chad said with his hands held up. "Anxelin just left with her sister."

"Sorry. I've been jumpy all night."

"Why's that?"

"No idea to be honest." Mal lied. "I haven't slept too much."

"Okay." Chad told her. "How much longer are you here?"

"Not too much I guess. I've got a kid now." She smiled

"Is it fun?"

"Being a parent?" Mal asked. Chad nodded. "Yeah, it's pretty cool. Hard sometimes but I'm lucky that Nelly is an easy kid."

"Yeah. Anxelin wants five." Chad made a face after he said that. "I'm good enough with two."

"Wait a couple more years." Mal laughed and nudged Chad, who laughed back. "So, how long are you here?"

Chad smirked. "Twelfth strike of midnight."

* * *

Mal excused herself to check on the girls. Kristina was leaving now. She knew that Doug and Evie would be leaving soon also. Mal should probably get ready to leave too. She walked over to where Ben and his father stood speaking with Phillip.

Mal walked to their direction but was forced to stop when someone stepped in front of her. "Excuse me?" Mal sneered.

"Oh sorry. Were you on your way to tell Benny Boo about our daughter?" Gasper questioned.

"No, I was going to tell Ben that _my_ daughter and I are leaving." Mal stated. " _MY_ daughter is mine, not yours. She was never yours to begin with."

"It takes two to make love."

Mal pulled on his tie and tugged him forward. "Do not _ever_ say that, you bastard. Your father is more of a man you'll ever be in your life."

"And Ben will leave you like yours left you. Both the biological one and the fake one." Gasper said. "I have my ways of knowing."

"You are disgusting trash and I swear to Zeus that if I could make my daughter not have your blood, I do it in a heart beat."

Over where Ben stood, Ben peered over and saw Mal and Gasper speaking. Gasper was smiling at Mal, but Mal looked pissed off and angry. Her face was turning red and her fist were clenched together.

"I hope she's okay." He muttered.

"Oh my freaking gosh Gasper!" Mal yelled. "You are a pain in my ass! Just leave me and my daughter alone and just pretend that nothing happened."

"But I can't forget anything. I can't forget that magical night—"

"Some magical night!"

"It's the night I helped make my daughter."

"She is not _your_ daughter."

Gasper signed and became very bothered by Mal's stubborn attitude. "I'm really on the verge of telling Benny boy that I'm Penelope's father, but I think his soon to be ex-girlfriend should be the one to tell him."

"You are nothing but a genetic contributor." Mal said. "That is all you will ever be. That night all you did other than rape me was give half of your genetics to create _my_ daughter."

Gasper laughed.

"What!?"

Gasper leaned in and told her, "I'm more than that, Maleficent. I may be as you say a 'genetic contributor' to her, but I'm also the guy you lost your virginity too."

* * *

 _(Seconds before)_

Ben and his father finished speaking with Phillip and now looked at one another. "I suppose you and Mal are leaving now."

"What makes you say that?" Ben asked.

Beast pointed behind Ben to a table. Ben turned and saw Penelope nodding on and off at one of the tables. Ben chuckled in amusement and turned back to his dad. "Yeah, we probably will go—"

" ** _YOU GOD DAMN ASSOLHOLE SON OF A FUCKING BASTARD BITCH!"_**

Everyone in the room turned just in time to see Mal, with eyes glowing green, punch Gasper in the nose and kicked him in between his legs, letting him fall down in pain. Mal kicked him once more before storming off quickly.

"Mal!?" Ben called after her. But she just kept running up the stairs. "Mal!" He yelled louder and ran after her.

* * *

 **Oh goodness gracious!**


	29. Truth

**Okay everyone, so I was going to upload this on Friday, but you have all been dying for this moment ever since Lost and Mal and I don't want to make you wait anymore longer.**

 **And now, princes and princesses, comes _the_ chapter you've all been craving for.**

 **WARNING: The first half of the chapter is rated 'M' for Mal's flashback. This is the only 'M' portion of the story.**

* * *

Mal had no idea how fast she had ran from the castle to the other castle, but she felt like she ran fast enough since it felt like it only took her ten minutes to get to the castle. She rushed inside and ran all the way to her bedroom.

Her heart was pounding like thunder. Her head was so dizzy and puzzled that she almost had no idea where she was or what she was doing. She felt hot in her body. She felt like someone was hugging her or strangling her and not letting go of her. Her skin became full of cold goosebumps and her body shook violently as she attempted to bring herself back to reality, but her nightmare was vivid. So very vivid now...she remembered it all like it had just happened mere moments ago...

 _Mal was blacked out for several moments but she opened her eyes and felt something. Something was wrong, something felt weird to her. She felt some sort of pounding entering and leaving her in a specific pattern. But her eyes and vision were a complete daze and she couldn't remember where she was for a brief second. As her vision was becoming clear she felt very cold 'down there' and she saw something yellow above her. Once her vision became clear, she saw it was Gasper, and then figured what was happening to her._

 _"Hmmmm!" She yelled, not realizing that Gasper used his one hand to keep her mouth shut tightly._

 _"Shut up," He muttered as he kept pace with himself._

 _"Hmmm! HMMM!" Mal shouted through the muffle. She moved her hands, but they were tied up together. She kicked her feet wildly but Gasper's weight kept them down. "Hmmm!" She was going crazy now. This felt so wrong. This was wrong. She knew what was happening but she had no idea what she could do...her mind wasn't focusing on anything._

 _Gasper kept pace with himself over the teenage girl. Not caring about her muffled screams,. He actually took pleasure in the muffled screams of the vulnerable girl. Gasper pulled himself out fully and leaned down and kissed her cheek, only for Mal to hit him with her own head. Gasper whacked her head with his free hand, hearing another muffled screamed, then pushed himself in again forcefully. Mal screamed louder than before against his hand._

 _"You're so tight, Maleficent." He muttered into her ear._

 _Mal wailed and sobbed. There was nothing she could do except sob loudly._

 _"Don't cry...almost there."_

 _Mal kept her eyes closed after that and just tried to imagine that it was Ben, playing a fucking rotten game with her, but Ben would_ _ **never**_ _do this to her. He'd stopped the second she tell him too. She just wished this would end and Gasper go away to Hell. Mal felt her body shake and a wave of...something, leave her body._

 _What was that? Mal had no idea what that was, but she knew what just...happened. All she could do was lay there frozen...unable to move or speak a single sound._

 _Seconds later she heard Gasper grunt out a pleasurable sound and limp a bit. Eyes still closed she heard Gasper stand up and shift around a bit before turned her over. Mal still didn't move. Not even after Gasper untied the ropes from her wrists and turned her back over._

 _"I had fun." Gasper said, buckling his belt. Mal said nothing, her eyes just still wide open and in shock. "Don't act like you didn't like that. You had an orgasm, you liked it. You wouldn't of had an orgasm if you didn't like it, Maleficent."_

 _She heard him leave. Even after he left Mal just laid there frozen and unable to think clearly or speak...just anything. She was trying to take in what just happened. When she realized finally what had happened all Mal could do was sob. She pulled her knees up to her chest and sobbed loudly, rocking herself back and forth, sobbing uncontrollably._

 _She soon got up after some time and pulled up her underpants and jeans, shaking the entire time as she sobbed, then ran out of the nightmare home and back to the castle._

* * *

For years she's had bits and pieces of the nightmare haunting her. Some parts seemed so real and other parts she wasn't sure if they happened or not. But now she recalled the entire ordeal, the entire nightmare. She sat down against her doorway and cried. Mal, who now dressed herself in black sweatpants and a purple v neck top, cried into her hands and tried to fight the vivid nightmare. But it was too powerful.

* _ **knock knock**_ _* "Mal!?"_

Crap. Ben? Mal sniffed loudly.

 _"Mal, please open the door."_

"NO!" She shouted.

 _"Mal, open the door please."_ Ben urged her. _"What made you upset?"_

"No! Just-just leave me alone!" Mal sobbed into her hands once more, shaking again. "Just go back to the party."

 _"The party is over anyways. Just open the door."_ Ben pleaded. He took the door knob and turned it. But it was locked. _"Mal, please open the door and talk to me. I want to know why you're upset."_

"NO!" Mal screamed. "Just go to bed...Ben?"

 _"Yes?"_

"Where's Nelly?"

 _"My parents have Penelope."_ He answered. _"Does it have to do with someone at the party? Gasper?"_

"Huh?"

 _"Does it have to do with Gasper, Mal? You were talking to him and then you got angry."_ Ben explained. _"Is it him or something or someone else?"_

"N-no." She muttered, her voice weak and cracked.

 _"Mal,"_ Ben's voice was also weak. _"Please just open the door. We don't have to talk. We can just hug."_

Mal thought for a moment. A hug was simple enough, right? Mal stood up and unlocked the door and pushed it opened. Ben stood there a bit distressed and anxious, but a smile came when Mal had the door opened. He automatically extended his arms out to hug Mal. Mal slowly embraced into his hug and rested her head against him.

* * *

The two stood there in silence. Mal could hear Ben's heartbeat. She could feel his warmth; it was caring, heartfelt, warm and loving. She loved his hugs. She's a tough girl who doesn't need protection, but the few times this tough girl needed protection she was glad that Ben was the protector. She also loved that Ben still loved her no matter how crazy she seemed to be getting lately, even though she knows that he is dying to know her secret. He loved her.

Maybe...it was time.

"Ben?" She asked, not looking at him though.

"Yes?"

"Can-can I tell you something? In here?" She pointed to her room.

"Sure." He replied.

* * *

The two stepped into Mal's room, Ben closing the door behind him. "What do you want to talk about?"

Mal tried to think of how to tell him. The only way that sounded best was to start from the beginning. "It was Christmas a few years ago...my first one in Auradon." She said. Ben nodded. "Well, the night after the party... no, for a few weeks someone had been sending me letter. Love letters. I knew who they were from but I didn't write back, not even to say I didn't like them back. Then the night of the party I met them and it was weird. Then later that night, after I went to bed, I got a phone call from this same person."

"Yes?"

"They...changed their voice to sound like Doug. Exactly like him. So I thought it was Doug calling me. Them, pretending to be him, said they were trapped in this creepy house that Doug and Evie had seen once around that time, and needed help to get out. So, still believing it was Doug, I went to save him...I thought about inviting you, but you had a shit ton of work the next morning."

"Okay?"

"So I went and...it wasn't Doug. It was...Penelope's father."

Ben felt his heart shift and himself stiffen a bit. Penelope's father? Who was her father? "Her dad was there?"

"Yes." Mal nodded. She felt herself become dizzy and weak, but she needed to get this out. "Penelope's _father_ was there."

"Father..." Ben muttered. "Who's her father?"

Mal gulped. "Penelope's father is...Gasper."

 _Gasper?_ _ **GASPER?**_ "Gasper? Blond Gasper? Gaston's Gasper? My friend Gasper?"

Mal nodded quickly. "Yes." she said. "The son of your dad's enemy."

"Oh..." Ben lingered. "He is Penelope's father?"

"Yes."

"Does...Does Gasper know he's the father?" Ben asked.

"Yes." Mal said.

Ben was confused. "Do...do you like Gasper?"

"No!"

"So...what happened?"

Mal felt herself tighten up. She felt herself breaking down inside and knew it was a matter of time before she sobbed again. "Ben, I promise, it's not what you might think! I love you. I have always loved you."

"I love you too. Mal, what does this have to do with Gasper and Penelope?" Ben asked her as he placed his hands on her shoulders to keep her still.

It took all of Mal's strength to release the words. "Gasper..."

"Gasper..."

Her face crunching up, hot tears falling from her red puffy eyes and slight hiccuping with an aura of grayness overtaking her body Mal released the words that she's been hiding away for so many years. "Gasper raped me."

* * *

An emotional tsunami wave overcame Mal the very second she said 'me' and bawled and wailed much harder than she's ever done in her life. _Ever._ She became entirely frail in her body and fell to the ground. She was hunched over sobbing into her chest and hugging herself, her hair falling over her shoulders and curtained her face. Hot tears fell to the ground. Finally free, but of course the emotional pain was much more intense than she could even imagine.

It took Ben a few seconds to let it sink in, but the second it had sunk in Ben's inner beast began to claw its way up from where it hid. Ben couldn't think straight.

The second Mal finished her three words, all Ben could too was knuckle up his fists, grind his teeth and try to keep in the dying roar he wanted urged to shout.

Gasper? That God damn asshole son of a fucking bitch _raped_ Mal? _HIS MAL?_ Gasper _raped_ _HIS MAL?_ Oh...Ben wanted to beat the everlasting shit out of that fucking bastard, make him suffer at his own hands. How DARE Gasper do such a horrible thing! Let alone it happening to Mal, but the fact that Gasper had done such a horrible thing was much worse than anything else in the world! Murder was one thing and sexually assaulting someone was just as evil as murder.

Mal, from her position, didn't hear Ben say a word. Without looking up she said, "I'm sorry!" She cried. "It's my fault. It's all my fault!"

Ben heart told him to get out of his murderous mind and take care of Mal. As much as Ben wanted to go find Gasper and beat the everlasting shit out of him, his heart told him to stay here and take care of Mal. Ben sat on his knees. "Mal?" He spoke up as he forcefully pulled her up. Her face was an emotional wreck; the leftover makeup was smeared all over and her face was just as puffy as her hot red eyes.

Mal just kept repeating to herself over and over. "It's my fault. It's all my fault!"

"Shhh, shhh, shhh!" Ben embraced Mal into a comfortable, firm, gentle, loving, caring hug. He rocked her serenely while whispering into Mal's ear. "This is _not_ your fault."

"It's my fault." She kept sobbing.

"This is _not_ your fault." Ben repeated himself. "None of this is your fault. Not one single thing is your fault, Mal."

But Mal wasn't listening to him. She just kept saying it over and over again. "My fault...my fault...my fault."

"This is _not_ your fault. This is _not_ your fault." He said firmly, rubbing her back up and down. Ben wanted Mal to understand that this was not her fault. None of it was her fault for even a micro second.

* * *

Ben texted his mother and asked if Penelope could sleep somewhere other than her room for tonight, a bedroom far away. His mother said it was fine and said which room (Ben knew the room was far, far away from Mal's room). Ben scooped up Mal and carried her to her bed. He placed her in and covered her with the covers. Mal still shook violently and shivered.

"Do you want me to sleep next to you?" Ben whispered.

Mal shook her head, but pointed to the end of the bed. "Sit there 'til I fall asleep?"

"Of course," Ben said. He kissed her temple and sat at the end of the bed.

Mal sobbed herself to sleep, feeling Ben's hand on her covered foot, rubbing it calmly.

For every single second Ben wanted to hunt down that blond bastard bitch and beat the everlasting bloody shit out of him, Ben stayed with Mal and kept her company. He was happy that Mal's secret was finally out after all these years of being in hiding, but his heart broke. Auradon was suppose to be positive. He knew there were still a few bad people here and there. But the type of people like Gasper and what he did, they were on the isle of the lost. Auradon was suppose to be a happy place for Mal and her friends, yet Gasper ruined that. He murdered her idea of what it meant to live in Auradon and live with good people.

Ben made a promise. When the time came, he was going to make Gasper wish that he was never born.

* * *

 **And it's revealed! After so many chapters (and years in Mal's case), the truth has come out.**

 **Oh boy, Benny Boo is not happy with his former best buddy.**


	30. Morning Blues, Violet Delights

**Morning Blues, Violet Delights.**

Mal slept well throughout the night for the most part. She woke up once sobbing. Ben comforted her back to sleep and from that point she slept the rest of the night. But when morning came, Mal had almost no energy to move. She didn't want to move either, but she made a tiny bit of movement before she heard Ben tell her to stop.

"School." Mal told him, implying she had to get Penelope to school.

"I'll take her." Ben assured her. "Just sleep for a little bit longer."

"But—"

"Go back to sleep," Ben whispered. "I'll wake you up when we get back, okay?"

Mal didn't think twice. She closed her eyes and went back to sleep, hoping she'd have a dream and not a nightmare.

* * *

About an hour later Ben was back inside of the room. Mal was still sleeping, but the wet marks on her cheeks implied that she probably just cried again recently. That hurt Ben. He took the chair next to the desk and positioned it so he was sitting in front of Mal just watching her.

It killed him that Mal was like this. She had done nothing wrong and she was blaming herself for what happened. All she did was go out to save a friend, from her perspective, and that asshole Gasper had to ruin it all and cause so much emotional pain for Mal. Mal already had emotional pain from her life growing up on the isle; emotional pain she's had to keep hidden or fear being more abused than she already was given in her mother's hands.

Ben was going to do everything he can to help Mal. Whatever it may be, he'll do it to help Mal.

Mal woke up facing the ceiling. She wasn't crying. She just stared up at the ceiling. She sighed and caught Ben from the corner of her eyes. Ben waved at her. Mal just stared back at the ceiling and sighed again.

They were silent for another hour. There was a knock on the door and someone asking for Ben to come speak with one of the councils. Ben looked back at Mal; her green eyes looking directly at him. She smiled faintly. "Go. I'm okay."

Ben stood up and then leaned down to kiss her temple. "I'll be back, I promise." He whispered and then left.

Once Ben was gone and down the hallway Mal sighed again and looked up at the ceiling. Her mouth quivered and her breathing hiccuped.

She cried.

* * *

A couple of hours later Ben picked up Penelope and brought her back. "Is mommy better?" Penelope asked. Ben has said that her mother wasn't feeling good this morning.

"Uh...she might be. She was asleep when I left so she might still be sleeping." Ben answered.

"Okay." She said.

"I'll be back," Ben said as he placed her on the ground. "Wait here for me."

"Okay." Penelope said.

Ben hurried out of the room to meet with his mother and a council member for an upcoming meeting. Penelope waited there and after what felt like ten hours (really, five minutes) Penelope walked away to her mother's room.

* * *

Penelope opened the door and saw her mother. She was sitting up and staring at her blanket covered feet. "Mommy?"

Mal looked up and saw Penelope. "Hi Penelope!" She smiled.

Penelope ran over and jumped on the bed to sit next to her. "Are you feeling better? Ben said you were sick."

Mal nodded. "Yeah. I'm feeling better. How was school today?"

"Good." Penelope smiled. "Kristina and I went to the library during recess to show me this book she started listening too."

"Listening too?"

"Yeah. She uses a CD and headphones to listen to the words." The purple haired girl said. "She my best Auradon friend. Then in art class we made flowers," She held up a green wire, the stem, that was tied around the pinch of violet tissue paper and twisted until it opened at the top, the flower part, and then sparkles sprinkled at the top. "I made for you to feel better."

"Aw thank you, Nelly." Mal took the gift, then kissed Penelope's head. Mal then picked up and pulled her into a firm, parental hug. "I love you, Penelope."

"I love you mommy." Penelope hugged her.

"You're my best friend." Mal giggled. Mal then softly mumbled, _"You're the best thing to happen to me."_

"Huh?" Penelope asked. She heard something said.

"Never mind." Mal said.

* * *

Ben turned the knob of Mal's bedroom door and peeked inside. He found the mother and daughter duo on Mal's bed hugging.

He smiled.

* * *

 **Such a small update.**


	31. Figures

A few horrible days had passed. Mal was on edge more than almost anything else and couldn't sleep well. She had a small fever, an actual fever, that made it all more miserable. She slept in bed mostly. She took her pills but they didn't work as much as before. Maybe she needed another upgrade?

Ben sat outside the courtyard enjoying the free afternoon. It was sunny, but thankfully not hot. It was crispy cold for a flannel or jean jacket for warmth. The scarlet, the chocolate and the pumpkin orange leaves fell from the trees and surrounded the yard; creating an ocean of leaves as the trees stood up naked.

Ben peeked up from his notebook and over to his left. He spotted three little girls playing in a pile of leaves, leaving their dolls on the blanket and abandoning their tea party. The brunette, solid skin ghost girl in the very light blue jacket and dark blue skirt was gathering the leaves into the pile to make it bigger. The purple haired girl in the flannel jacket and dark blue jeans was gathering another pile of leaves to add to the pile and the blonde girl in the jean jacket and stomping on other leaves and breaking them apart, laughing at the crackling sound the leaves made.

"Babysitting?"

Ben turned and saw his father standing behind the table. Smiling, Ben replied, "Sort of. We just happen to be in the same spot, but the girls were here first."

Beast nodded and looked at the three girls. "I know Kristina and I know Penelope. Who is the other girl?"

"Jessalynn. Penelope's best friend from Halloweentown. Mal invited her over and then an hour ago Kristina came to the castle, on her own, wanting to play with Penelope. The old best friend met the new best friend and now they're a trio of best friends." Ben smiled. Beast looked at him curiously. "I told Kristina's parents as soon as she arrived so they didn't worry."

Beast nodded and took hold of the empty chair next to Ben. "How is Mal doing?"

Ben did not tell his parents, or anyone, what Mal told him. She would tell their friends on her own term, then maybe his parents soon after since they would wonder why Mal wouldn't be able to carry another child. "She is doing well. Her fever is going down."

"I told you Mrs. Pott's tomato rice soup worked wonders." Beast smiled. "She should feel better in less than a week."

Ben sighed. "I hope so." He heard little foot steps walking up to him and turned. "What's up Penelope?"

"Hi Ben. Hi Beast." She waved to the older man, who waved back. "Ben, do you have a quarter or dollar?"

"I might. What's it for?"

"Kristina knows our new neighbor." She began. Ben sat up a bit. A new neighbor? "The one that a ten minute or fifteen minute walk here."

Ben looked at his father. Beast replied, "Peter Piper and his wife, Pepper Piper, and their children; Potter Piper, Patrica Piper and Pete Piper."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Kristina knows Pete and she and him gamble all the time."

"You shouldn't be gambling." Ben said.

"Not real gambling. After the game is over, they give back the other players things." Penelope explained. "I give back your money."

Ben smiled. It seemed pretty innocent. Ben pulled out two dollar bills and handed them to Penelope. "Here's two. Go get them."

"Thank you." Penelope smiled and turned back to her two best friends and the new boy in the yard with the bright red hair.

Beast looked between Ben and Penelope and saw the look on Ben's face. "Is that her boyfriend?" He laughed.

"What?" Ben asked. "No, just a friend."

"Positive?"

"The second she has a boyfriend, Jay will learn of it and there will be no more boys in Auradon." Ben chuckled.

Beast nodded. "That's true." He said. "But, you can be good too."

Ben shrugged. "I don't know if I'm that good. Mal's doing a wonderful job raising Penelope herself."

Beast nodded with a smile. "Ben, did I ever tell you about my childhood?"

"Not too much."

"My father, Benjamin, passed when I wasn't even three years yet. My mother had tiny care about what I did and how I acted, hence why I became a certain way." Beast told his son. "If my own mother had cared enough to raise me better, I wouldn't have caused most of my friends to become objects and items in the castle. And with almost no father figure growing up I had to figure how to be a man. I figured it out by the time you were born so that you had a strong, parental figure to look up too."

"Dad," Ben laughed. "What are you trying to tell me?"

"Mal's a wonderful mother. Single parents can be the best as a couple. But kids need a parental figure to look up too. A mother figure and a father figure." Beast explained coolly. "I know there is Jay and Carlos and Doug and even Chad to an extant. But if you and Mal are going to be together for the rest of your lives," Beast looked at Ben with a sly smile. "There's a good chance a little girl is going to see you as her father figure."

"You think?" Ben wondered.

"Yes. Unless the biological stranger comes around and things don't work out a certain way with you around, I can guarantee that the little violet hair girl is going to look at you."

Ben listened to his father and looked back at the trio of girls. Penelope was the only one standing up, wind blowing gently across her face. The young king found himself smiling at her. Ben knew the truth about Penelope's father—who he is and what he has done— and Zeus forbid Penelope ever discover who her real father is, let alone what he had done; he knew that someone like Gasper was _not_ someone to be looked up upon. Someone who deserved to be looked down on and not glorified like an Olympian God.

He wasn't sure if he was the best person to be looked up at yet. But if Auradon trusted him, than maybe he could _try_ to be that father figure in her life.


	32. Birthday

**Birthdays.**

A few more days had passed and it was the first day of October. Mal finished up the last touches of the double chocolate chip cookies she baked all night just as Carlos walked in with Dude following behind with balloons. "Mal, where am I tying these up?"

"In the gathering room," Mal answered. "Jay's inside tying up the banner."

"Great. What time does the party start?"

"Ten minutes, two to six. Then she and her friend Jessalynn are sleeping over Kristina's."

"How come all little kid parties start at freaking one or two in the afternoon? Why not ten?"

"Half of them still sleep. They're like mini teenagers."

"Cool." Carlos laughed. "So I'm guessing when they're teenagers, they'll sleep until seven thirty at night."

"Exactly!" Mal laughed.

During the actual party, Penelope felt happy about the event. Thanks to Kristina, Penelope had made friends with several more children at the school. No, Kristina didn't bully or attack them to be friendly to the purple haired girl, she was friends with the other "Freaks" too, as they were called by head mean girl Geraldine and her mini Geraldine group.

Unfortunately in the words of her mommy, Penelope had to send cards out to everyone in her class so that "nobody felt left out." Because of the cards and probably words from the mouth, all the parents in her classroom sent their child/children to Penelope's party.

As mean as it sounded, Penelope only wanted her nice new friends from the school (Kristina, Toby, Scarlet, Jillian ((Jill)), Christopher, Rosaria ((Aria)) and Crow) and her friends from Halloweentown. At least all those kids were nice to her.

Penelope was sitting down with Dude on her lap and biting into a cupcake she had taken from the table. All the children seemed to be getting along with one another. More so, the "Freak" kids and her Halloween friends were getting along together. The other children just didn't speak to acknowledge the others. She hated that nobody was actually speaking to one another.

"This party is lame." Geraldine walked up to Penelope. "There are too many freaks here."

"Those my friends from where I live before, Geraldine. Be nice to them." Penelope said.

"No, I like them. Just the actual freaks from my school, plus you." Geraldine said. "The one arm freak—"

"That Crow!"

"The orphan freak—"

"That Scarlet!"

"The freak who lives with their mommy only because their daddy ditch them—"

"That Toby!"

"The freak who sounds freaky—"

"That Aria and she speak Spanish first but learn English second."

"That freak with no money—"

"That Jillian!"

"That freak who just dresses weird!"

"That Christopher."

"And that freak who visit the nurse every day after lunch!"

"That Kristina!"

"This party is fill with too many freaks. I just want my mommy or daddy to get me soon so I can get out of this freak fill room!" Geraldine shouted. "Especially with _two_ dragon freaks, a freak with that dog always following to him, that freak with blue hair and that other freak that hang out with your freak Dragon mother!"

Penelope held back from screaming or tackling Geraldine to the ground. But one word of this to either Kristina or Toby and Geraldine would suffer on Monday when they went back to school. Geraldine turned and walked over to where a couple of other girls were sitting eating cookies. Penelope sighed and looked down at Dude and petted his head softly. "I no even like parties Dude, but when I older and if I have another birthday party I no inviting Geraldine or other kids from school. Just the friends I like."

Sometime later the child birthday party ended. Mal was cleaning up the room as children left with their parents. Penelope was standing alone in the corner waiting with her two friends to finish up doing with whatever they were doing.

"Boo." A voice said walking up behind her.

Penelope smiled at Ben. "Hi."

"Happy birthday."

"Happy birthday!" Penelope hugged him. "Mommy save you piece of cake."

"Oh yeah? What kind?"

"Vanilla with chocolate filling and violet icing."

"Sounds good," He smiled. Ben reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a box with a red bow. "Here's your gift."

She took the box curiously. "I left your gift at school."

A warm smile on Ben's face he replied, "That's okay, I don't need a gift."

Penelope shook the box and heard something rattle inside the square. She lifted the top of the box off and peered inside to find a necklace inside. It was a silver chain with an opal shaped white heart that hung below the middle. "A necklace?"

"Yes. The opals are the birthstone for October." Ben explained. "I saw it and thought it was really pretty. And look on the back of the heart."

Penelope turned it over and held the heart and read the back of it. _Penelope J. Faery._ "Hey, that my name."

"Yeah. I had it engraved for you. Do you like it?" He asked with a hopeful tone in there. He hoped that she would like he. He had no idea what else to give her even though Mal had given him a list.

The smaller girl nodded with a bright grin. "Yeah. I really like it, Ben." She put the necklace back inside the box and placed it down, then reached up and held her arms out for Ben to embrace. The lightly brown hair birthday boy embraced the violet haired birthday girl and pulled her into a firm, friendly hug. "Thank you, Ben."

"Your welcome, Penelope." He said.

* * *

 **Hey guys. Sorry this was probably a sucky chapter. I'm trying to get back into writing after a weeks vacation and getting ready to go back to school in 3-4 weeks.**

 **I originally was just going to have Kristina and Toby become Penelope's close friends at her Auradon school, but I wanted to make a huge group so I created more children for her to be friends with and to, unfortunately, be part of Geraldine's bullying.**

 **Next up; Ben's birthday party with an unwanted guest.**


	33. Adult Party, Adult Conversations

At the other birthday party formal, Mal stayed closed to Ben for most of the evening before drifting off to be alone at the party, plus she wanted Ben to speak with his guy friends without her standing there like some follower of some weird sorts. She went off and hung out with Jay and Evie for a while before making her way to Belle and Beast.

"Mal, how are you feeling?" Belle asked. "I heard it was a horrible flu and stomach bug mix."

"I'm feeling much better, thank you." Mal smiled. "I feel like I had lost thirty pounds that day from all the sickness."

"Well I'm glad you feel better," Beast mentioned. "Hopefully Pixie didn't catch it."

Mal found herself tilting her head a tiny bit and an eyebrow raising up. Pixie? "Who's Pixie?" She asked him.

Beast, now realizing what he just said, answered her. "Oh, uh, Penelope." He first said. "I helped her get a cookie from the cookie jar and we were joking around a bit. I somehow found myself calling her a Pixie Fairy...and since pixie begins with 'P' and her name begins with 'P'..." Beast just sort of lingered for a bit. "I just called her Pixie and she liked it."

Mal chuckled. "Oh, I never thought of that. That's cute. I'm sure she won't catch it though." Mal said.

"Where is she tonight?" Belle asked.

"Sleeping over Kristina Bjorgman's house with her friend Jessalynn. She should be home tomorrow after lunch."

"Oh good! I promised I would read a book to her before dinner," Belle smiled. " _Anne of Green Gables._ The first novel of the series. She found the cover of it interesting this morning."

"I'm sure she'll like it. Maybe that'll give me some alone time for a bit." Mal told her. "I feel bad sometimes, but lately for a few weeks I've sort of liked being alone." That was true. When Mal was alone, she would just cry and feel guilty for what had happened to her years ago. She tried to do this when Penelope and Ben were not around her at all. Unfortunately, the latter was usually around her when it happened.

"No, it's completely normal to have some alone time at least once a week. Otherwise you'd go insane and lose it and either take it out on someone else or worse." Belle explained to the young mother. "To be honest Mal, I'm very surprised."

"About what?"

"How wonderful a mother you are to Penelope." Belle said sweetly. "When Ben was her age, he was still wild and running around and causing chaos. I nearly lost my temper with him sometimes and I'm still shocked my head did not blow up from the madness he was a part of. But you're very calm and seem to not have a wild child on your hands."

"Thank you. But I sometimes worry I'm not the best. Auradon taught me kindness and love, but I do sometimes worry that I'll pull something my mother did to me on Penelope. I want Penelope to have a better childhood than I ever did. The only good memories I have of it are being friends with a few kids, but almost all for the wrong reasons."

"Friendships are friendships." Beast commented.

"As long as they're good friends," Mal laughed.

Her eyes then caught something out of the corner of her eyes. Blond, red blazer with black formal pants. Walking in her direction. One glance from the corner of her eye and Mal knew who it was instantly. "Pardon me," Mal excused herself and turned back to where Ben was standing.

* * *

Ben finished laughing at a joke Jordan was telling everyone when he felt Mal wrap her arm around his back, gripped his hand and stood as close as she could to him. Before Ben could say a single word Mal kissed him on the lips and kept the lip locking last for several minutes before she pulled out. Before another word could be said, Mal shift her eyes to the side from the direction she came from.

Ben looked over and saw the particular blond walking in their direction. Now Ben understood. Wordlessly, Ben winked at her and kissed her temple in reassurance.

Of course the blond one finally made their way over to the two love birds. "Happy birthday, King Ben."

"Thanks." Ben said with a force of kindness. _I hate you._

"Sorry I didn't get a gift for you. I lost track of time."

"Oh, it's no bother." Ben smiled. _You can let me beat the fucking crap out of you. That would be perfect!_ Ben felt Mal squeezing his hand tightly. He could feel in the squeeze that she was growing anxious with being this close to this bastard. "Hey," Ben turned to Mal. "I just remembered that Jay had something funny to tell you. I think he's over by the food table."

Mal knew what Ben was doing and nodded. "Okay. Thanks." She said and kissed his cheek.

"Want me to escort you there?" Gasper asked. "I was just heading there myself."

"No!" Ben said quickly, causing Gasper too look at him oddly. "I mean, uh, no, I wanted to ask you...about...your mom and aunts store...a scarf I saw on their website." Ben said. "I think I want to get one for my mom for Christmas. Can we just talk about it briefly?"

Gasper nodded. "Oh sure. Use me for business."

"Ha, yes, of course." Ben said.

Mal managed to sneak away and go off to hang around Jay.

* * *

Several hours later Mal was eating a cupcake watching as the guest were leaving the party. Her friends had gone home for the night and she was leaving fairly soon too. She had to wake up early and work on some paintings that she wanted to create. She looked over and saw Ben speaking with one of the council members. Gosh, he looked so handsome without that crown on. But with that gold piece of plastic on his head, he looked a lot hotter.

"Hey angel," A voice said.

Mal whipped her head to Gasper. "Get away from me."

Gasper didn't listen. He leaned against the table and stared at the purple beauty. "You're a real beauty. You bright up more than those lanterns in the sky on Rapunzel's birthday."

"That's a lame line." Mal sneered. "Now get away."

"Come on," Gasper continued. "You know we should belong together. You know that."

"No. I belong with Ben. He's my perfect match and I'm his perfect match. Now get out of here before I make you wish you never stepped over to me."

"Perfect match, huh?" Gasper said. "You're not a perfect match to him."

"Oh? Really!?" Mal asked with hands on her hips. "Tell me what YOU know about Ben and I and our relationship?"

"Well, he's royal and your not."

"Well geeze, thanks Sultan."

"Second," He smirked. "You're not a virgin."

"Only because of _you_ bastard," Mal sneered at him. "You can't be that stupid and forget that night."

"Well of course I remember that night, silly. We made our daughter that night."

" _My_ daughter!" Mal pointed a finger at him. "She is _my_ daughter, not yours! She is not your daughter and she will _never_ be your daughter. Your filthy, rotten, idiot blood may run in her veins but she also has _my blood_ and she is _my_ daughter."

"Geeze Maleficent, way to be possessive of a child." Gasper rolled his eyes. "It's recommended and highly common that a king or queen marry a virgin. You are not a virgin."

"Your more brainless that Horace and Jasper!"

"And...your family curse has already given you the one child." Gasper reminded her. "See, I get that. I understand you can only have one child. And I am more than utterly fine with us having a daughter and not a son. I'm not my father."

"Your father is more of a man than you are!" Mal shouted. "I grew up next door to the man whore and at least he never went as far with women as what you did. He just went for the next woman that came around."

Gasper ignored that comment. "Maybe Ben wants a son. Ever think of that?"

"Oh well freaking geez! That's why Ben and I are not going to work out. Because I had a daughter. Not a son. That's the entire reason Ben and I would ever break up. Not because of being a liar or anything like that or worse. We would break up because the gender of _my_ child isn't a God damn boy!"

"Maleficent—"

"And stop calling me that! My name is Mal! Not Maleficent! I would only be given that name if I was evil enough and guess what? I'm. Not. Evil. So my name is Mal!" She shouted, a bit more loudly. Her temper was rising.

"Fine. Whatever you say... Mal." Gasper spoke. "But Penelope is my daughter. Whether or not you want to admit it. She's going to ask about her daddy one day and you will have to tell her about me."

"And if I do, I will tell her exactly what happened."

"Making her believe that had it not happened, than she would not be here."

"You stupid ASSHOLE!" Mal screamed at the top of her lungs, causing everyone (Ben included) to turn their heads to where Mal and Gasper were standing. Mal punched Gasper right smack in the middle of his nose, then kicked him between the legs and then ran off and ignored everyone that looked upon them.

* * *

 **Pixie. I was trying to look up a cute nickname that Beast could call Penelope and I found a list of uncommon nicknames for Penelope. Pixie was one of them and I sort of liked it.**

 **Next; Bal.**

 **Next after Next; A bloody chapter.**


	34. Not Normal

**Not Normal.**

Mal returned to her room in the castle. She slammed the door with a bang, kicked off her shoes and jumped onto her bed. She sobbed into the pillow. She knew she was ruining her makeup and her hair had fallen out of the bun and became a mess, but her anger was more important than her own looks.

How dare he. How dare that foolish, grotesque, hideous, monstrous creature speak to her and make her angry. How dare he try to hurt her feelings. Okay, well he _did_ hurt her feelings; but how dare he do it in public knowing full well they were attending an event where most of Auradon was attending. That bloody bastard.

* * *

She wasn't alone for too long. Only five minutes after Mal began her sob festival she heard the door open and close softly and heard a lock turned to keep it closed from anyone else entering the room. She automatically knew who it was. That's why it made her cry and wail harder than she already was currently.

"Oh Mal," Ben said sympathetically to her. He sat on his kneecaps and stared at the back of her purple locks. He rubbed her back gently but firmly. "I'm so sorry he hurt you."

Mal, arms crossing over her chest, hiccuped loudly. "He-he-he sucks! I hate him!" She cried harder. "He ru-ru-ruined m-my life!"

"I'm sorry." The lightly brunet boy said.

"I hate what-what he's done to-to-to-to me! The only fucking thing that bloody bastard has done that's good is-is-is—"

"I know," Ben whispered. "I know."

Mal rolled over onto her stomach from her side, then rolled again so that she was now facing Ben. Her face was pale but puffy and the whites of her eyes were no longer white, but almost red from the obsessive crying. "Ben?" She whispered.

"Yes?"

"Hold me?"

Without a second to hesitate Ben was laying next to her and arms wrapped around her. He pulled her into a closer, caring and loving embrace with her head resting on his chest. The second she was rested on him, she sobbed hard. Ben embraced the upset purplette and cuddled her. He knew she had a lot of love given to her since the events of his coronation birthday celebration, but he had to give her more love to try and make her feel better. He kissed the very top of her head, then hummed to her.

* * *

After some silence Mal spoke up in a soft, fragile voice. "I'm not normal."

This surprised Ben. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not normal." She repeated. "At least, in the eyes of Auradon, I'm not normal. Even back on the isle I'm not even a bit of normal, I'm a complete and utter whore on the isle."

"No, that's not true at all!" The kingly boyfriend said firmly to her. "Mal, that's not even a bit of truth."

"It is though!" Mal screamed. She sat up and stared at him with wide, light green eyes. "Back on the island, it was normal to have a child outside of marriage. Almost always from a one night stand; like myself, Evie, Carlos and Jay. Some of the others parents were married or in a committed evil relationship with someone else." She almost broke down crying again. "Everyone on the isle is tough. Only touch people prey on tough people, it's a challenge."

"Your point?"

"Nobody on the isle has never been raped."

"I'd hate to be a Debby Downer and I'd hate to think this, but there might have been some on the isle." Ben said in a bitter tone. "None of which should ever fucking happen in the first place. Not one person deserves such an evil act. Not even the most evil villains deserve that act of evil."

Mal ignored his statement and continued with her heat for herself. "Back home on the isle, if I got pregnant from meeting someone than the whole fucking isle civilians would say that I asked for it."

"Mal." Ben began.

"I'm not normal on the isle. So why in the hell would I ever be normal in Auradon!? The freaking Kingdom that has everyone married and then have babies!"

"Maybe in my parents generation, but there are changes." Ben said. "Mal, listen to me."

"I'm a freak!" Mal cried. Bowing her head she uttered, "Maybe Gasper was right...maybe I did ask to be—"

"Do not finish that sentence!" Ben said loudly, almost startling Mal. He took Mal into his arms, cuddling her closely with his arm around her back and his hand resting on the back of her head that pushed her head to his heart. "Listen to me." He said gently.

"Ben—"

He ignored her and continued. "You. Did. Nothing. You did not do a single thing at all to deserve this, do you understand me?" He questioned. "Not one person should ever go through anything as atrocious as what he did do you. Gasper is at fault for everything. You said he tricked you? He pretended to be Doug to get you to the house?" She nodded against him. "He used a friend you care for to lure you out, that's his fault. He knew you kind enough that you would come out to save your friend."

Mal sighed. Ben was starting to make sense to her. But her heart was still shattered and broken and her emotions were wild.

"Mal, it is never the survivors fault."

Survivor? Mal looked up at him. "Survivor?"

"Yes, you're a survivor." He kissed her temple.

"How in the hell? He didn't stab me with a frigging knife or Audrey's dads sword."

"Even before this gruesome moment, you were a survivor. You survived the isle. If you can survive the isle, you are a survivor from this."

Mal mad a tiny noise of annoyance before saying, "I still feel guilty."

The brunet boyfriend sighed, cuddled her closer and kissed her head once more. He knew that what Mal was feeling was normal. This, or anything like this, would make the person guilty as if it was their fault. It's not. It never is. But the one who was hurt didn't believe so. Mal doesn't believe that it was not her fault. It broke his heart.

"And then that stupid, bloody bastard...has the nerve...to say..." She choke a few cries out.

"What's he say?"

"The stupid dick said... that Penelope will wanna know him...he's right. But I don't want her to know him." She sighed. "I'd rather she grew up like me, never knowing her father, than even be in the know about who he is."

Ben laid there and listened to her. Every word she said in every tone of bitter and hate. Soon enough Mal yawned and began dropping her head a bit, feeling the sleep coming to take her to dream (or nightmare) land. "Ben?" She whispered.

"Yes?"

"Stay with me?" She asked. "Tonight? Like this?"

"Of course I will." Ben said. He then sat up and bit and reached down to grasp the cotton purple blanket and cover the two of them with it. Ben kissed Mal's temple and said, "Good night, Mal."

But as soon as Ben said 'will', Mal was already asleep.

* * *

The following morning Mal woke up. She slept pretty good with no nightmares. She turned over expecting Ben to be either awake or sleeping.

No Ben.

Where did Ben go?


	35. Bloody Battle Between Boys

**Tehe. Here you go! The chapter that you've all sort of been waiting for!**

* * *

 **Bloody Battle Between Boys.**

 _Where did Ben go?_

Ben did not take a moment to sleep at all that night. He had hoped that Mal would remain asleep throughout most of the night. Luckily she did. Close to dawn Ben stood up from the bed as quickly as he could without having to wake up Mal. Ben kissed her sweet temple softly and then left her bedroom to go to his room.

Ben texted someone to meet him deep in the woods to discuss some business. They asked why so far and Ben told them he didn't want anyone such as any paparazzi to hear and spoil the surprise. They agreed. Ben threw on a casual v-neck white shirt, a black jacket, black jeans and converse sneakers. Ben left his bedroom, cracking his knuckles and his neck.

* * *

He waited in the woods in a tree. He told this person to meet him at a certain time.

Ben was now just waiting the hour to come.

Squatting in a tree, ready to jump down and pounce like a tiger.

Every second that passed, his blood became hot.

It was soon boiling with anger and death.

* * *

The hour came and Ben heard someone walking in the woods to the area he had specified to them. He peered down and saw the person. The blond hair boy wore a cream color shirt with a red blazer, dark blue jeans and brown shoes. He walked into the area with no expectations of what to come about so much.

Ben studied his victim. So innocent to this act that was to occur. One that would make the blond regret that he was ever born outside of his mother's womb. The brunet hair boy waited a few more minutes before he began climbing down the tree slowly. Once near the ground, he jumped. He broke a twig in half.

The blond turned about and saw Ben. "Oh, hi Ben."

Ben stared at him.

"What's new in the world this early morning?"

Ben answered nothing. He walked over to Gasper slowly.

"Dude, what's wrong?" Gasper asked. "You're being weird."

Again, Ben said nothing. Just stared at the boy directly.

"Did something happen?" He asked.

Ben said nothing, but breathed slowly.

"Ben, what the—"

Ben sucker punched Gasper in the nose.

"Aw fuck!" Gasper winced in pain and held is bleeding nose. "What the—"

Ben punched him in the face again. Then kneeded him between the legs, pushed Gasper into the tree and began to throw punches in his face.

"BEN! THE FUCK!?" Gasper yelled when Ben stopped. "THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?"

"You disgust me!" Ben shouted, shaking him by the blond. "You disgust me you piece of filth!"

"I have no idea what your talking about!"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." Ben told him. Still holding him by the collar, Ben pulled Gasper towards him and bitterly explained. "Mal. Told. Me. _EVERYTHING!_ "

Gasper smirked. "She told you what?"

"Don't play that shit with me, bastard!" Ben punched him square in the eye. "You know what you did to her years ago!"

Gasper smirked. "So, she mentioned we did it?"

Ben slapped him. "No, you did NOTHING!" He screamed. "You know what you did to her!"

"Mal and I made love."

"You fucking asshole!" Ben nearly choked him to death at this point. His eyes were wild in expression. His blood was a volcano. "You raped Mal!"

"No, we made love. She just laid there and took it after she got use to my pe—" Gasper began to say, but Ben bashed his head against the tree bark. "OUCH! DAMN IT!"

"You knocked her down, you held her down and you violated her!" Ben shouted. "You piece of fucking filth!"

"Hey, at least Mal and our daughter, Penelope."

"She isn't _your_ daughter, she is Mal's daughter!"

"Takes two to tango."

Ben bashed Gasper's head against the tree again, then began to punch him in his face and in his torso and chest areas. Gasper began to fight back the same way. Soon, both of them were on the floor attacking one another. Gasper's blood landed on Ben's shirt and Ben's blood landed on Gasper's jacket

"She's my kid, Benjamin!" Gasper shouted.

"No she's not!" Ben shouted, throwing at kick at Gasper's legs. Gasper fell over in pain. Ben wrestled him to the ground and pinned him. "You are _not_ her parent, you fuck bastard! And you will _never_ hurt Mal or her daughter or any girl in Auradon again!"

"Aww, Ben's jealous because I was Mal's first."

"DOESN'T COUNT!" Ben shrieked. "You raped her you fuck bastard!"

"She basically asked for it when she came to the house."

Ben lost it. Ben began to bash Gasper's head on the ground violently over and over again. Slapping him across the face and punching him every so often. Gasper's face was a complete mess with a bloody nose, bleeding mouth with a tooth knocked out and two swollen black eyes. Red marks and bruises were on his face.

But guess what the blond bastard did?

He laughed.

"WHAT IN THE DAMN HELL CAN BE FUNNY!?" Ben screamed.

"No matter what happens here today, Penelope will always be my daughter and I'll always have Mal's virginity"

If Ben just lost it now, than he _really_ just lost it as soon as Gasper said those words. Ben began to up his brutal attacks for a few moments. "Mal isn't a fucking trophy you idiot! And her daughter is not your daughter!"

"My blood runs in her."

"Her blood keeps her _alive,_ her blood doesn't define who her parents are!" Ben shouted.

"Her DNA has my DNA. She is my daughter and Mal, technically, is my woman by her non virgin state. Face it Benny Boo, I've won Mal and I've won Penelope. My girls, my purplettes."

Ben lost it completely. More than the last two times and more than he's ever lost it in his entire life.

Ben began to swing his arms and punches left and right, screaming at the top of his lungs, and creating a pool of blood on Gasper's face.

Gasper was now, extremely, petrified of Ben. He began sobbing.

Ben stopped when he saw the bastard sobbing. Ben held him up by the front of his shirt and harshly whispered in his hears. "You're gonna listen to me. Got it?" Gasper nodded, still sobbing. "You are going to leave Auradon, that includes where you live now, and never set foot in Auradon again, got it? You are going to leave Mal and her daughter alone. Your are going to act like you never met Mal in your life and you will not acknowledge that either of them exist, got it? You will never bother either of them again and I swear God and on my moms books and my dad's rose, if I hear from either Mal or her daughter that you said a simple 'hello' to either of them, I. Will. Make. You. _Suffer._ Got it?"

Gasper nodded rapidly. "I promise! I promise!" He cried. "Just don't hurt me!"

"This event in the woods never took place. Right?"

"I fell down a hill!" Gasper shouted.

"Good." Ben bitterly said. He pushed Gasper into the ground and stood above him. "Get out of my sight before I murder and bury you here."

Gasper struggled as he crawled away. Once on his feet he ran the hell out of there like the woods were on fire. Ben stood there, arms crossed, glaring at the red blazer until it was no longer in sight.

Ben huffed. "And I thought Gaston was horrible."

* * *

Ben slowly made his way back to the castle. He had to find a way to sneak inside without being caught and asked why he was out and covered in blood.

Ben decided to use the very back of the castle and climb up the garden vines that were grown. He climbed up to an open window and jumped inside.

He snuck around avoiding people until he was in his bedroom hallway. He was halfway down when a bathroom door opened and Mal came out.

"Hey, where have you been?" She asked.

"Out." Ben replied. "Has anyone looked for me?"

"Well, just your parents and myself and Nelly." She answered. "You parents wanted to ask you something and Nelly was hoping you'd walk her to school today."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. I promised Nelly that _you_ would pick her up after school. So, your kind of stuck on that." Mal laughed.

"Oh, sure, no problem."

"And I had no idea where you were this morning." Mal said. She then noticed the blood on Ben's shirt. "Ben?"

"I, uh, fell down a hill on a morning jog."

"Well yeah I figured since your face looks like shit and your body is bruised like an apple." Mal stated. "But the blood? Your nose doesn't look busted enough to be bloody."

"I had a nose bleed after I rolled down the hill." Ben said.

"Are you lying?"

"No."

"Don't lie."

"I'm not."

"Okay," Mal rolled her eyes. She knew he was lying. She'd make him suffer for it later. Mal held her arms out and went in for a hug. Ben obligated and embrace her too, rocking her gently side to side. "I love you." She whispered into his shoulder.

"I love you too." Ben whispered.


	36. Truths

**Oh my goodness! I'm sorry for almost two months of no updating. I sort of got distracted with other stories and I also felt like nobody was beginning to like this story anymore which made me not motivated to continue the story a bit. But I DO plan on finishing this story with it's bittersweet endings.**

* * *

 **Truths.**

November had come around once more and it was the twins birthday. Doug and Evie had decided to hold a small event with just close friends and school mates since Doug's family held their birthday as part of Thanksgiving celebration.

The party was held at the park a little past lunch time. Mal was blowing up balloons with Jay while Carlos helped Evie organize the gifts on the table for opening later.

"Geeze, I never knew how long it took to blow these up." Mal said.

"No kidding. The last time I blew up balloons was for Audrey's New Years party a few years ago." Jay smiled. He turned around to look at a couple of the party kids playing together in a sandbox. "Did I ever mention that I was a happy uncle?" Jay smiled.

"For the last time Jay; yes. You're a happy uncle. You're happy because besides her cousins, Penelope made friends with Kristina."

"Who's a girl."

"Of course. How many guys are named Kristina."

"Well there's that one person who named her daughter James and that other person who named their son Riley."

"Riley is a girl _and_ boy name."

"Sounds more like a girl name to me."

* * *

Over at the playground where most of the children played, Penelope was on a swing next to Kristina laughing about a story Kristina was talking about. Kristina heard her name be called and sighed as she stood up. "Medicine time. I hope this thing goes away soon."

"Me too."

"Back in five minutes."

While Kristina was gone to get medicine, Penelope pumped her legs back and forth to start swinging. She was happy, for once in a long time, but the happiness soon went away when two familiar girls walked up to her.

"Why are _you_ here, Dragon Freak?" Geraldine asked.

Penelope came to a full stop and said, "Dwight and Derek are my cousins."

"They're _not_ Dragons."

"No, but their mommy is friends with my mommy."

"I bet your mommy threaten to bite off their mommy's head if they weren't invited."

"Not true!" Penelope shouted. "My mommy is a fairy and I'm a fairy. Stop saying we're dragons like that Maleficent person."

"Actually, it's more so she 'Maleficent dragon' silly," Sonya laughed.

"Whatever Sonya." Geraldine sneered. She turned back to Penelope and said, "Dragon Freak, Dragon Freak! Go back home to your slimy creek!"

Penelope covered her ears. _No! Not the song again!_

But Geraldine only repeated the words a few more times, taunting the girl more and more. Finally she pushed six year old Penelope over the swing and made her hit the ground hard. Penelope didn't scream, but she felt a lot of pain from it. She sat up wiping a few tears away.

"Dragon Freak." Geraldine said. "Crybaby."

Geraldine turned around after that to skip back to where she was earlier. Sonya stayed for a moment before reluctantly turning around and walking back to where she was with Geraldine earlier.

Penelope sat up and brushed down the dirt from her flannel top. She climbed back onto the swing and sat there unhappy.

"Penelope?" The violet hair girl turned to the older man voice and found Ben dressed in a navy blue sweater with dark jeans with a yellow scarf around his neck.

"Hi Ben." She said, forcing happiness.

Ben sat on his knees next to her with some concern on his face. "Who were those girls?"

"What girls?"

"Those girls who were just here." Ben explained. "The one who pushed you and the one who watched."

"Oh, those are my friends from school." Penelope smiled. "It's a game."

"What game?"

"Push someone down and walk away." She failed at giving a better detailed reason. "It's a fun game."

Ben looked into her eyes. They were red from sobbing. "Penelope, you're not lying to me I hope."

"Liars are bad people."

"Yes, I know." He said. "Liars aren't good people. But I do know that sometimes people lie when they are worried they are going to get in trouble." He explained. "The truth should always be said."

Penelope shrugged. She knew she should tell the truth, but she didn't want to be a tattletale.

Ben continued, sitting next to her this time on the swing next to her. "You know what a snitch is?"

"Yeah."

"Snitch doesn't exist."

"That a silly rhyme."

"It is, isn't it?" Ben chuckled. "But it's a true thing. It's not snitching if someone is purposely hurting your feelings. Or bullying you."

Penelope nodded. That made total sense, yet she still did not want to snitch.

"Were those girls bullying you?"

"Nope."

Ben sighed. "Okay. If that's the truth."

* * *

A couple of hours later just as the party was coming to a near end, Mal was standing near the table with the food when a memory came back to her. She froze as the memory played, haunting her and terrifying her to death. Her skin became bitter cold and her body screamed in agonizing pain. But Mal just stood there and tried to not react to it in front of children.

The memory passed. She wished Ben was next to her. She usually had him hold her after it passed. Mal shook it off and took her food.

Mal turned around and came face to face with her friends. Evie, Carlos, Jay, Audrey, Jane, Lonnie, Doug and Chad. "What?" She asked.

"Don't play stupid with us." Audrey stated. "We know something is up with you. You're always so jumpy and weird."

"Well I thought weird was a good thing." Mal laughed.

"Not that kind of weird, Mal." Lonnie said. "You've been like this for, I don't know, maybe a year now."

"Maybe longer." Jay added. "Before you ran away from Auradon you were a little weird too."

"Not that weird."

"Yes, weird." Carlos insisted. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Mal shouted.

"Mal, we're best friends!" Evie shouted. "On the limo ride here we said we were all in this together. Now I know looking back it meant on stealing the wand, but we never actually said 'We're all in this to get the wand together' we just said and spat in our hands—"

"Ew!" Audrey made a face.

"And agreed to be in this together." Evie finished. "Now you tell us what in the hell has been going on!"

Mal shook her head. "No. It's... It's stupid."

"No, you keeping a secret it stupid." Chad told.

"Guys, I said this is _now_ how to approach someone." Doug said.

"Can it, Dr. Therapy." Jay spat. "Mal, tell us."

Mal felt threaten by their sudden attack but she knew she had to tell everyone. She hated the idea of ruining a birthday party for Evie's little boys, but honestly knew that she would just be harassed more and more by everyone.

"Promise to note hate me?" She asked them all.

"Promise." Each one of them said.

"Okay," Mal sighed. "Here's the story..."

Mal talked to everyone and shared the story. The island with the colorful gems, Gasper, Gasper's flirting, Christmas at the party and later that night with the false phone call. She told them how she thought it was really and honestly Doug until she found it was Gasper. She shared the argument they had and the fight they both had during the moment. She explained their physical fight and how at one point she thought she had beaten him. But before she was able to open the door to leave, Gasper jumped her.

Then she told them exactly what happened to her. "He knocked me out and when I came about, Gasper was r aping me."

Her friends were dumbfounded. The son of a bitch did _what_ to their Mal?

"I was in some weird post trauma stress mood for so long and then just when I thought it couldn't be any more weird, I found out I was pregnant with Nelly! I freaked out about being pregnant as a teenager and being Ben's girlfriend and the future with that, like kids or whatever, and just... ran. I ran away from my problems instead of facing them." Mal began sobbing.

Well the truth was out finally. There was a moment of silence, wild questions and most of all; anger and sadness. Evie broke the ice by sisterly embracing Mal into a hug; tears falling from her own eyes. Her best friend was hurt, had been hurt, and carried all those emotions for years. Jane, Lonnie and Audrey followed into the hug. They were also heartbroken that their friend was hurt.

The guys all hugged into the group too. Jay and Carlos were pissed off as hell. How _dare_ someone hurt their sister. They were going to pay for hurting Mal. Doug and Chad were in disbelief that people like Gasper still lived in Auradon and not on the damn isle.

At least the truth was said now.

Mal felt a lot better now. Not completely, but a lot better than before.


	37. Help

"Ah!" Mal screamed loudly as she shot up from her bed. Covered in an ocean of sweat from head to toe, Mal breathed in and out harshly until she was able to gain control of her breathing again. It was at this moment that she remembered that she wasn't in any harm, again, she relaxed and laid down in her bed. She rubbed her face whilst groaning loudly.

"Stupid week." She muttered.

The entire week has been a nightmare. Worse than any nightmare than she's ever had in her life. She felt all the pain claw into her skin and slowly drag itself up from her toes to her brain; creeping on her every second of every day. She shook as she violently rocked back and forth from one side to the other side, biting her mouth to prevent a roaring scream.

She rolled her self to the other side of her bed competently and hunched over, feeling the puke from her stomach fly up her throat and now out of her mouth and into the bucket. Everything from dinner fell into the bucket, including the red velvet ice cream that she had binged on before bed. When she felt that it was all out of her system and into her bucket Mal sat up and walked into her bathroom with the bucket. She dumped it, washed it out, then washed her face and chugged down a cup of water.

 _*knock knock * "Mal? Are you in here?"_

"Yeah," Mal answered. "Why Ben?"

 _"Can I come in?"_

"Sure."

* * *

Ben walked into the bathroom and found his pale girlfriend looking more sickly than the past few days. "Everything okay?"

"Sure." She muttered.

Ben felt her forehead. "You feel a little hot."

"Maybe another fever."

"You've had a lot lately," Ben said. "I don't think it's a fever."

Mal moaned. "Maybe it's just a reaction. I had another nightmare."

Ben sighed. "Again?" She nodded. "Mal, it's been an entire week."

"I know," She said sternly. She turned around and opened the cabinet to pull out a clear bag that read _**MAL ONLY! TOUCH IT AND FEEL MY RANGE!**_ She opened the bag and pulled out her two bottles.

"Is that your medicine?"

"Yeah," She said as she poured them out. She had to take four for her depression and four for her anxiety.

Ben counted them each and became worried. "Mal, that's too much."

"No it's not. It's the amount I need." Mal explained.

"Oh, really?" Ben was unsure.

"Yeah stupid. Three and three," She said just as she was about to swallow the first five anxiety pills.

Ben snatched them from her hand and said, "Mal, you poured out too many. Look," He held them out for her to study.

Mal counted the pills in his hands. _Five._ Then she counted the ones in her hands. _Five._ "Okay, so I would take one extra. Big deal?"

"Mal, even one pill can cause an overdose. Maybe not all the time; but never good to take a chance."

"Geeze," Mal slammed her head with her hand. "I guess I'm not awake as much as I thought I was. Thanks," She said and placed the few she didn't need back into her bottles.

Ben recounted and said, "Don't you take two each?"

"I've gotten an increase." Mal said. "Now it's four and four."

"Why so much?"

"Just...emotional things," She said, but avoided eye contact. She swallowed her medicine and drank a cup of water.

"Do they help at least?" Ben questioned.

"Sometimes." Mal answered. "I think I need more, but the doctor I go to tells me that she doesn't want to increase it so much in a short amount of time. She's afraid that I'll end up becoming too dependent on them and might be addictive to them when I'm unsubscribed one day. Plus, it's just going to cost more and more and I'd rather save what I can for other things. Like holiday shopping, bills, grocery shopping and other things."

"You pay bills?"

"Yeah. I help pay for the castle bills," She smiled sheepishly. "The guy who pays them didn't take it at first but I end up having to convince him that I'm use to paying bills and that I feel bad for not helping. Seriously though if the castle here has an issue, shove it."

"Geeze, okay," Ben chuckled. "I guess the same goes to Mrs. Potts when she goes food shopping every once in a while?"

"Yes. Plus extra if I ask her for specific things." She said.

Ben nodded. He always knew she was good in her heart and nice, but he didn't think that she was _this_ good. Not even he had an idea about giving money to either the accountant or Mrs. Potts for their well doing; they already had payments from his parents for the time being.

He brought the attention back to Mal and her medicine. "Well I can understand her reason for not giving more in a short period of time. It might be too much."

Mal heard those words and shouted, "But it's too much already! I can't keep up with these nightmares and emotions that come with it and these pills are helping me, Ben! They are! But I need more to help me block it out completely."

"Mal," Ben said softly.

"No!" She shouted. "I want to get better! I want to forget that night! I don't want to remember Gasper freaking raping me. I just want to forget it all!"

"Mal," Ben tried to help soothe her, but Mal's range of anger took over.

"Honestly I hate that! I hate he was my first and I hate that I can't that stupid moment out of my head!" She yelled, echoing the bathroom, and pulling her hair tightly. "I _freaking_ hate this!"

* * *

Ben took hold of her into a hug and guided her back to her bedroom. Ben sat on her on the bed and then keeled in front of her and held her wrists. "Mal," He whispered gently. "Take a deep breathe."

"I am calm!"

"I said take a deep breathe."

Mal took one.

"Good...now exhale."

She exhaled.

"Do that several more times, slowly."

Mal did so. After at least eight or nine time; she was soothed down. "Okay. I'm okay."

"Good," He smiled. "Mal, what happened to you that night with Gasper doesn't count as a first. It never counts as a first. Second, I know that your medicine helps you with your mental and emotional trauma to what happened, but I think talking to someone will help you."

"I have been talking." She sighed.

"With who?"

"You."

"Oh...Well, yes, that's good." Ben smiled. "But I'm not a professional; I can only help so much. I meant maybe talk to a therapist—"

Mal slapped Ben hard across the face. "I am _not_ a nutcase!"

"Seeing a therapist doesn't mean you're a nutcase. It doesn't mean that your crazy, Mal. I just meant that talking to someone who can help you better with this."

"Oh, so the damn therapist been raped and knows what I'm going through?"

"No, maybe not. But it's part of their job to help guide you."

"I don't need it, I'm not crazy."

"I didn't say you were crazy."

"Suggesting an idiot who thinks she knows everything about me, makes me think _you_ should talk to her." Mal said as she crossed her arms. "I don't need a nut doctor."

"Okay," Ben said. "But I think it'll help you."

"Whatever."

* * *

 _ **1 Week Later.**_

Mal stood outside Ben's door and knocked. Ben opened the door to find his frail, fatigued and overly worked girlfriend. "What's up?"

"Ben?"

"Yes?"

"Can you help me find a woman therapist?"

* * *

 **I'm almost done with this story! :(**


	38. Another Auradon Christmas

**Second to last chapter!**

Mal's therapy was slowly going well. She struggled at first to even admit she was having trouble, though she's told Ben plenty of times over the course of months. But a complete stranger was different. Even if she was a women, Mal felt strange to tell her. Luckily, the woman was nice about the entire thing. She didn't talk straight away about why Mal was there (she was a specialist in rape survivors therapy), she just spoke to Mal about who Mal was.

Mal still took her medicine. But she was pretty sure she wouldn't have to take them as often as before, probably in a couple of months.

* * *

Mal was dead asleep in her room one morning until she heard someone run into her room and jump on her bed. "Mommy! Mommy!" Penelope screamed. "It's Christmas! It's Christmas."

"Whoa, okay Nelly," Mal laughed. She turned over and sat up to face her purple plaid nightgown dressed daughter. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, mommy!" Penelope hugged Mal. "Mommy, Belle make pancakes this morning. Blueberry!"

"Okay, okay." Mal said. "Let's get going."

Mal threw on a long sleeve purple sweater over her tank top with her black yoga pants, put on socks and ran down the hallway holding Penelope's hand. The duo giggled the entire way to the dining room.

* * *

Inside of the dining room already were Ben and his parents. Ben kept looking over his shoulder every couple of minutes to look for his purplette girls, discouraged to not even hear them yet. Belle noticed and joked.

"Maybe they decided to go back to Halloweentown."

"I hope not. I kept dreaming of this Christmas with them since Mal decided to move back to Auradon a year ago." Ben admitted. He heard two giggled down the hallway and smiled. "Here they come." Ben smiled.

Christmas morning was pretty great. Belle and Beast both lounged around in one room while Ben, Mal and Penelope lounged in another room watching a cartoon movie for the afternoon. While Penelope ran off to use the bathroom, Ben and Mal took the few minutes to start making out on the couch. Mal pulled out of the kiss and stared at him.

"What?" Ben breathed out.

"Nothing," She smiled. "Just wanted to look at you."

"And you think _I'm_ the odd one." Ben smirked. Ben cupped her face gingerly as he placed his forehead on Mal's. _"Are you okay?"_ he whispered. Mal nodded; she knew why he asked this. Holding his wrist with her hand she smiled.

"I'm okay."

* * *

Sometime had passed and trio were soon off to a holiday gathering at a friends home. Mal was able to hang out with her isle friends for the night while Ben hung out with the Auradon boys and all the kids that came hung out in another room. Though Ben would come up behind Mal and wrap his arms around her waist and pull her closer, kissing her ear. _"You okay?"_

Mal nodded against him. _"I'm okay."_

Mal kept checking on Penelope every once in a while in the kids room. She was happy the entire time. Kristina was there and Jessalynn was there too, since her parents were having some issues at home and asked Mal to take care of Jessalynn for a couple of hours. Mal's check ups were becoming less frequent with every hour passing, seeing as Penelope's happiness had come back.

Mal still couldn't believe that she had a daughter sometimes. What did she do to deserve a little girl like Penelope in her life? She still loathed how she became pregnant with Penelope and she still loathed who her biological father was, but those were two minor things that were part of her and Penelope's life together. The rest was what they created together; far better than the first part.

* * *

Ben sneaked out into the backyard for fresh air a bit later. It was chilly out but not freezing as the forecast had called earlier in the morning. Ben sat on a bench gazing up the star filled sky with a crescent moon shining brightly over Auradon. He wondered if anyone back on the isle had thought of the moon as anything other than something that lit up the sky at night.

"Ben?"

Ben turned his head and found Penelope standing next to the bench. "Oh, hey Penelope."

"What you doing?" She asked.

"Just star gazing."

"Alone?"

"I like being alone sometimes." Ben told her. "It's really nice."

Penelope looked between Ben and the sky. She saw nothing interesting about the sky but Ben seemed to be oddly interesting. Penelope climbed onto the bench and then onto Ben's lap. She rested against him and stared up too. Ben, without ever looking away from the sky, smiled and held one arm on Penelope as she sat on his lap.

The October first babies kept their position on the bench and gazed. The music inside the house changed from fast to slow paced. Ben recognized the first couple of notes of the song as one his mom sang to him as a little boy. In a swift moment Ben stood up, still holding Penelope in his arms but switching her around so she faced him. One arm holding her around the waist while his free hand held up her right hand, almost like an odd waltz position, and began moving slowly.

Penelope smiled and giggled a bit. This was odd, Ben's never done this before, but she liked it a lot. "Mommy's right."

"What about?"

"Your weird."

"She's weird."

"You have little crowns on your swim trunks."

"Guilty." Ben laughed.

* * *

Mal was alone upstairs in a bathroom. She had used the toilet, but now for the past couple of minutes she was in a trance. A trance of horror. She was brought back to that night...it was so vivid and terrible. Mal clutched onto the sink and breathed in and out heavy, trying to keep clam and counted backwards from ten just as her therapist suggested she do. It took all the willpower in Mal to not take her medicine in her bag or grab something sharp to release the pain. She's never gone that far, but lately she's been eager to do so.

 _"Mal?"_ Ben asked from the other side of the door. _"You in there?"_

"Uh...huh..." She said.

 _"Oh, you've been gone for a while."_

Mal tried to speak clearly. "Ben?"

 _"Yes?"_

"Come inside and close the door?" She asked. Tears were falling down, she was shaking in her skin and nearly loosing it.

Ben opened the door and the moment he saw Mals' state he shut the door, locked it, and hurried to her. He embraced her into a hug and comforted her whilst Mal sobbed into his shirt. "I'm here, I'm here." Ben muttered.

"Flashback, flashback," She muttered in a shaky voice.

"It's okay. I'm here, I'm here," Ben rubbed her back in small assuring circles. "I'm here now Mal. I'm here."

Mal nodded. She wasn't there in her mind anymore, but it scared her to flashback to it. She was safe now. But it still haunted Mal. Maybe forever she'd be haunted that by that horrible night.

* * *

Ben held a sleeping Penelope in one arm while supporting Mal as she walked along him. Ben carried them to Mal's room and rested Mal on the bed first sitting down. He used his free hand to grab a top and pants from her opened drawer and handed them to Mal.

As she dressed Ben brought Penelope into her room and sat her on the bed sitting up. He carefully slid the dress over her head, dropped the material and took the laid out nightgown from the end of the bed and placed it over her head. He slid the nightgown down and slid her arms through the holes. Ben took her shoes and socks off and rested her under the duvet. Ben rubbed her hair back gently before going back to check on Mal.

Mal was clad in her pajamas, under the duvets and dead asleep. Ben tugged the covers up some more and then kissed her head gently. "Sweet dreams. I love you, Mal." He whispered and shut the lights off.

Ben returned to Penelope's room to tuck her in a bit more. He rubbed her purple locks back and kissed her forehead. "Sweet dreams. I love you, Lollypop."


	39. A Special Auradon Christmas

**Last chapter!**

 **Hello princes and princess! I am so sorry for the long update on this and other Descendant stories. It wasn't lost I lost interest but I was sort of sad for a while that I wasn't getting a lot of review in the end as I was in the beginning.**

 **Anyways I am going to try to finish all my Descendants fictions really soon!**

* * *

 **A Special Auradon Christmas.**

In the morning Mal, who had a good rest during the night, woke up to jumping on her bed. She knew who it was automatically and began pushing her hand up into the air. "Nelly, stop. It's too early."

"But mommy. The snow's awake, so I'm awake." The little girl said as she continued to jump up and down on the bed. "Mommy it's Christmas!"

"It's five in the morning. Go back to bed."

Penelope looked over at the clock and read the digital time. It read 4:43. "Mommy, it's 4:43. Not five."

"Still too early," Mal yawned. "Go back to bed for another two hours."

Penelope jumped off the bed and made her was back to her room. However instead of going back to bed the wide awake girl left her room via front door and made her way down the hallway to the kitchen.

* * *

Inside of the kitchen Ben sat in his pajamas eating leftover cookies from the previous night. As well as cake and drinking a glass of chocolate milk. He woke up not too long ago and was unable to return to sleep. He was on his phone going over old pictures that were taken this year. A majority of them were of Ben with Mal and or Penelope. He paused at one picture and smile while his heart melt with giddiness. The picture was of Mal and Penelope taken outside a few weeks ago just as the winter snow was falling. It had to be the second beautiful picture of the two of them (the first being the one with Mal holding newborn Penelope in her arms).

The door swung opened and closed and Ben caught his eyes on Penelope walking inside. "Good morning early bird." He smiled.

"Hi Ben!" The little girl smiled. "It's Christmas!"

"Yes it is. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas. What you eating?" She asked as she walked over to him.

"Cookies and cake," He answered. "Shhs. Don't tell anyone."

Penelope giggled with a nod and said, "How can I say anything if I have cake in my mouth."

Ben knew what that meant. He picked up Penelope and sat her on his lap and handed her an extra fork. "Dig in." He smiled.

The two of them ate in silence for a few moments when Penelope saw the picture on Ben's phone. "I thought mommy said to delete that."

"She did. But I like it. I like it a lot."

"I like it too. I don't think mommy likes it because she doesn't like winter."

"Why do you say that?"

"Mommy no like winter because it's really cold. The only time she ever liked winter was years ago when she wrote a letter to the stork."

"A...stork?"

"The stork that gives girls the magic bean to have a baby." Penelope said with a smile. "Mommy asked the stork for the magic baby bean and the stork gave it to her and then she had me lots of months later." She explained. "Didn't your mommy tell you about the magic baby bean?"

"Oh, yes...she did. But I thought she said it was an owl that delivered it." He said. "I remember that winter. It was a good winter." _Minus Gasper._ "What do you think about Auradon? You've lived here for almost a whole year now."

"I like it. Just as much as Halloweentown."

"How's school? Anything happening in school?"

"Not really. This boy Ernie in class has a new girlfriend. Now he's got himself a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday girlfriend."

"A new girl everyday?"

Penelope nodded. "Yeah. He ask me to be his Thursday girlfriend but I said 'no' to him."

"That's good," Ben smiled.

"Ernie asked why and I said 'Chad Charming told me to not be with a boy who got a new girlfriend every day.'"

* * *

A couple of hours passed. Mal woke up and took her hair brush to brush her purple hair as she walked to Penelope's bedroom. She walked in and saw it was empty. She didn't freak, she knew where her girl was. Mal tossed the brush behind her and made her way down the hall towards the family living room.

Inside she saw Ben and Penelope on the couch, Ben laying down with his head propped against a pillow and Penelope sitting on Ben's stomach. Ben was tickling Penelope's stomach wildly and Penelope's laughs were almost as loud as Ben and Beasts roars. Mal didn't disturb the scene. She thought it was beautiful to look at. Ben was a great person. Whether or not Mal and Ben would stay together forever Mal was glad that, besides Jay and Doug and Carlos, Penelope had a father figure to look up too. She didn't need to mention to Ben about being a father figure for her daughter. She knew Ben already considered himself a father figure for Penelope.

"Mommy!" Penelope shouted joyfully. She climbed off of Ben's stomach and ran to her mother. Penelope engulfed her mother's embrace and hugged her tightly. "Morning mommy. It's Christmas!"

"Good morning. Yes, I know it is." Mal said. Looking at Ben she asked, "Where are your parents."

"Sleeping." He laughed. "They're old."

"Your old."

"I'm your age."

"No, I'm older." Mal said, then realized what she said. "Oh darn you Benjamin!"

"Ha ha ha!"

* * *

The rest of the hour while waiting for the former king and queen was spent with the trio sitting on the couch watching _A Christmas Story_ on it's annual 24 hour marathon run. When the formers woke up and were fresh for the day, present giving started.

Belle watched the two purple haired girls together as they opened one another gift. Mal was good at gift wrapping; too good. She had to help unwrap the gift for her daughter. Belle noticed the smile on Mal's face the entire time. A true mom's grin. She thought back to years ago when this girl was new to Auradon and not use to such kindness and love that the land offered. Now here she was today with so much love and kindness in her life. She hoped this would last for a very, very long time.

The bookworm mother also noted Ben's being with the two girls. Though Mal was gone for five years and her baby boy was miserable every passing day, she found it amazing how quickly the two of them connected again so well. She also adored how loving Ben was to Penelope. Of course, Ben was loving to everyone who was kind, good and enjoyed fairness. But this relationship was different. Ben really treated Penelope like she was his own child. Not like just some sort of package that came with Mal.

* * *

The younger trio were outside building snow people and angels. Ben and Mal throwing snowballs at one another while Penelope and Shadow built a snow castle. It became intense to the point where Mal made a large snowball and ran towards Ben. Ben ran as fast as he could as Mal caught up to him. Soon he slipped and fell onto a fluff of snow and Mal pounced on his back. "Oh Benny Boo," Mal sang.

"Yes?"

"Boom!" Mal shoved the snowball into his face, causing Ben to yelp. "Ha ha! I win!"

Through the bitten cold on his face Ben smiled and went for her ribs and began tickling her wildly. Mal roared a laugh and fell back just as Ben hovered over her and continued to tickle her. "Say 'diss me'!"

"Huh?"

"Say 'diss me'!"

"D-d-diss me."

"Say 'miss me'"

"M-m-miss me," She laughed.

"Say 'now you gotta'"

With some struggle as Ben's fingers tickled her more Mal managed to say, "Now you gotta."

"Kiss me!"

"Kiss me—Huh?" Mal's reaction was too slow. Instantly Ben's lips were connected to Mal's lips and gingerly pressed her. Mal giggled and pressed her lips into his lips. Mal wrapped her arms around Ben's back and pulled him down on top of her. She lifted her back for him to wrap his arms behind her. They pulled away for a brief moment to catch a fresh breathe of air."Ben?"

"Hmm?"

"Diss me, miss me, now you have to kiss me." She smirked. Ben obligated and leaned down to kiss her again. The sweet kiss was the sweetest kiss she's ever gotten from him. She didn't want to break it. But... "Ben, my butt is cold."

"OK."

* * *

Mal passed the living room some hours later after dinner. Mal saw her two loves on the couch sleeping together. Penelope was spread on her stomach resting on Ben's stomach and head on Ben's chest. Ben had one arm dangling off the side and the other arm across Penelope to keep her from falling. Mal thought it was too adorable. She walked over and gently rubbed Ben's shoulder. Ben stirred and opened one eye. "Oh...hi." He yawned.

"Hey," Mal smiled. "May I have my child to put into bed?" Ben nodded and lifted up the little girl to Mal. "You guys looked knocked out."

"We've been playing hide and go seek and tag and reading all evening."

"Sounds like fun."

Mal carried Penelope to her room and placed her in her nightgown, during which Penelope woke up and realized she was going to bed. "Mommy, where's Ben?"

"Back out in the living room." Mal answered. "Your going to bed now."

"No, I have to ask him something." She said. "I meant to ask him earlier but I fell asleep."

"What's that?"

Penelope looked at her with confusion for a moment before leaning into Mal's ear and whispered something. Mal heard the words and instantly looked at Penelope with wide eyes. "Really?" Penelope nodded. She then asked her mother if she could do that and Mal, after a moment of thinking, nodded. "Yes. Yes, you can do that. That's okay with me."

* * *

In Ben's study room he was working on a couple of papers that the council was to discuss upon following the New Year. He had finished the papers that discussed what the new student classrooms in Agrabah would consist of (materials, colors, desks per room, etc) when the door opened and Mal peaked her head in. "Oh hello Mal. Need something?"

"Oh, Penelope just wanted to say goodnight." Mal told him as she walked in with the six year old in her arms.

Ben stood up and walked to stand in front of his desk. When Mal was close to him Ben held out his arms to take the violet eyed girl into his arms. Mal passed the girl into his arms and Ben held her in an embrace. "Goodnight Lollypop."

"Lollypop?" Mal sneered.

"My nickname for her. She's as sweet as a lollypop." Ben grinned. He felt Penelope snuggle closer into his hug and rest her head closer. "You're super affectionate tonight."

"She wanted to ask you something too."

Penelope pulled back from the hug and stared at Ben with some nerves in her. "Ben, you know how Kristina got Kristoff?" Ben nodded. "Jessalynn has Garret?" Ben nodded. "And Dwight and Derek got uncle Doug?" Ben nodded again. He noticed the pattern. "They all share a name."

"Yes. Kristoff is Kristina's daddy, Garret is Jessalynn's daddy and uncle Doug is Dwight and Derek's daddy."

Penelope nodded and said, "Yeah. You're like them too. Your nice, funny and weird."

"I'm not weird."

"You have little crowns on your shorts."

"Guilty."

"You're funny, weird and nice." Penelope repeated. "So..."

"Yes?"

"Ben," Her voice became small and she turned blushed red. "Can I call you 'Daddy' too?"

Ben felt himself and his eyes widen in surprise. But his heart melted with complete warmth. He looked at Mal for a blink of a second. She nodded and winked. He knew _her_ answer just as much as he knew his own. The same answer he's had for _months_ now at his point.

"Ben?"

"Yes." He said. He grinned brightly. "Yes! You can call me Daddy, Penelope. I'd love that!"

"Really?"

"Of course 'really' Lollypop." Ben chuckled. "I love you. I've loved you since before you moved to Auradon." Ben kissed her cheek and hugged her firmly again. "I love both my purplettes." He motioned for Mal to join the hug.

Mal joined in on the hug with happy tears in her eyes. She's always had a family with her friends, but now she had an actual family. A daughter she loved more than life itself and a boyfriend she loved with all her heart and who loved her Penelope with all of his love too. "I love you Ben. I love you Nelly."

"I love you Mal." Ben said.

"I love you, mommy." Penelope said. "I love you, daddy."

"I love you, Lollypop." Ben said.

The trio all smiled with happiness in their hug, for they finally gotten what they've always wanted.

A family.

* * *

 **Thank you all for reading and reviewing this story! I hope you've all enjoyed it.**

 **I'm planning a third installment. Not a long one, just a short one.**


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